Production Note
Cornell University Library produced this
volume to replace the irreparably
deteriorated original. It was scanned using
Xerox software and equipment at 600 dots per
inch resolution and compressed prior to
storage using CCITT Group 4 compression. The
digital data were used to create Cornell's
replacement volume on paper that meets the
ANSI Standard Z39.48-1984. The production of
this volume was supported in part by the New
York State Program for the Conservation and
Preservation of Library Research Materials
and the Xerox Corporation. Digital file
copyright by Cornell University Library
1994.THE LIFE OF
HORATIO JONES.
GEORGE H. HARRIS.THE TRUE STORY of HOC-SA-GO-WAH
PRISONER, PIONEER AND INTERPRETER
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
By GEORGE H. HARRIS.
INTRODUCTION.
The following narrative of the life and adventures of Horatio
Jones was written by George H. Harris of Rochester. Having in
view its publication as a volume by itself, he amplified the somewhat
scanty personal data, by sketching the general history of the Six
Nations Indians, among whom his hero spent the active years of his
life. Could Mr. Harris have completed his work, on his original
plan, this amplification would have been a welcome and appropriate
feature; but Death stepped in, and the researches which had em-
ployed such time as Mr. Harris could gain from his daily duties,
through a period of some fifteen years, were but partly recorded by
his peri. He had written out the life of Horatio Jones, down to
June, 1791. About a year ago the Buffalo Historical Society pur-
chased the unfinished manuscript, and received with it the notes,
correspondence and other papers which Mr. Harris had evidently
designed to utilize in completing his history. From that material,
and other sources, the editor of the present volume has endeavored to
complete the story.
The narrative, for the most part, is printed as Mr. Harris wrote
it ; but it has been found advisable to rearrange it, and to omit cer-
tain discursive chapters which, although they would have been proper
in the volume that Mr. Harris hoped to make, would be out of place
in a series of Publications like the present, the purpose of which is
to present new historical material. A genealogical chapter is also
omitted, the data being presented more compactly, at the end of the
narrative. One other chapter, which dealt with the captivity of
Sarah Whitmore, has been condensed, the facts of that captivity be-
ing more fully given in a separate paper written by a descendant of
the fair captive of the Mohawks, who became wife to Horatio Jones.
383384
THE LIFE OF HORATIO I ONES.
For most readers of this volume it is probably superfluous to
state that Horatio Jones was a strikingly picturesque figure in the
history of Western New York during the Revolution and the pioneer
years that followed. As soldier-boy he was taken prisoner by the
Senecas, and compelled to run the gauntlet. He was adopted by
them, and took an Indian wife. He was made a chief, and shared
in the councils of the tribe. No white man ever more closely allied
himself with the Senecas. He lived among them for many years,
serving as interpreter on many occasions of great importance in
their councils and negotiations with the United States Government
and with representatives of land companies. In 1798, in grateful
recognition of his services, the Senecas induced the State to cede to
him a square mile of land, now embraced within the limits of Buf-
falo. With his fellow-prisoner, Jasper Parrish, who also received a
square mile, his name has been coupled for a century, and the his-
tory of land titles and deeds in the northwest part of Buffalo has
many allusions to the “Jones and Parrish tracts.” Even more than
to the Niagara region, the story of Horatio Jones belongs to the
Genesee valley, in which he was a pioneer settler and where his dust
now reposes. His career was one of great usefulness; yet, important
as he was in the history of so large a region, throughout many years,
one may search in vain for any adequate records of the man’s
career. Mr. Harris appreciated this lack in the history of Western
New York, and undertook, with a considerable degree of success, to
supply what was needed. He appreciated too the dramatic and pic-
turesque quality of the subject; and while he followed his hero’s
course with conscientious fidelity to facts, for which he searched
indefatigably, he did not fail to bring out to the full the wealth of
adventure and local color which more often appertain to romance
than to matter-of-fact chronicles of history.
George H. Harris was a corresponding member of the Buffalo
Historical Society, and at one time a resident of Buffalo. Shortly
after his death, in Rochester, October 5, 1893, Mr. J. G. D’Olier pre-
pared a memorial sketch, for the Rochester Academy of Science.
From that paper the following data are drawn:
In the year 1816, there moved to Rochester from Otsego County,
N. Y., a Mr. Daniel Harris. This gentleman purchased a farm
which included what is now Mount Hope Cemetery, and built a log
cabin in front of where Mr. Ellwanger’s residence now stands. With
other children he brought with him Daniel Ely Harris, a boy of three
years. Young Daniel’s boyhood was spent on the farm, sharing the
hardships and pleasure of pioneer life.
In 1836, Daniel Harris married Miss Strickland, a relative of
Agnes Strickland, author of “The Lives of the Queens of England,”
and a sister of General Silas A. Strickland. Of this marriage wasTHE LIFE OF HORATIO I ONES,
385
born George Henry Harris, the subject of our sketch, in West
Greece, Monroe County, on the 29th of December, 1843.
During George Harris's early years his father was a contractor,
which probably accounts for the fact that while yet a lad he had lived
in Charlotte, Rochester, Hinsdale and Buffalo. His grandfather was
also interested in public works and almost ruined himself on a con-
tract to deepen a section of the Erie Canal, having to blast an im-
mense quantity of rock not counted on. When George was a lad of
twelve years his father moved with the family to Green Bay, Wis-
consin, where he engaged in the lumbering business. As the boy was
in delicate health the physician advised his father to take him out
of school and let him run wild in the woods for a year. That year
instilled in the boy a love of nature, canoe, camp and rifle that never
waned while life lasted. It was always a pleasure to him to live
over in memory those days, telling of the many adventures that he
had with a young companion. Having regained his health he *was
apprenticed, at the age of fifteen, to a watchmaker. This man was a
student of history, and without doubt it was largely due to his influ-
ence that the boy’s taste turned to historical subjects. Three years
later he came back to Rochester and entered Pierce’s Military Acad-
emy. ... As in everything he undertook he soon mastered the de-
tails of military tactics, and in 1863 he joined Company K, 54th
Regiment, in which he held the rank of orderly sergeant. When his
regiment was disbanded he returned to Rochester, and his health
again failing, he engaged in farming for a time, after which he went
to Oil City, and in the spring of 1868 to Omaha. Here, after trying
farming. and storekeeping, he was appointed on the night force of
the postoffice. In this duty he came near ending his career in a
bloody adventure with a burglar. Later he was appointed first mail
clerk between Omaha and St. Joseph.
Trusting a friend to get out papers for a claim which he had
taken up near Omaha, and upon which he had spent all his spare
cash, he found like many another that the friend had played him
false and had taken out the papers in his own name. Returning to
Rochester he studied surveying and landscape gardening under Mr.
Stillson at Mount Hope.
In 1872 he married Miss Julia E. Hughes, and moved to Peter-
borough, Canada, where he laid out and beautified the Little Lake
Cemetery, which stands today a monument to his skill as a landscape
gardener, being one of the most beautiful in the Dominion. Having
finished his work in Peterborough he moved to Detroit, Mich., where
he took charge of Elmwood Cemetery, but once more his delicate
health stood in his way and he was forced to give it up. He then
returned to Rochester. This was about 1877. . . . He took up the
study of history, reading everything he could get relating in any way
to the early settlement of the Genesee country, as well as all works
bearing on the Seneca Indians. He also took long tramps following
up the olfl Indian trails and locating their villages, looking up old
settlers and gleaning from them all they could remember of pioneers
and pioneer life. It was most interesting to listen to him catechise
some old resident, awakening memories by some incident of long ago.
Mr. Harris made friends wherever he went. His gentle nature,
coupled with a rare faculty of thinking about the little things of life
endeared him to his friends and companions. A striking character-
istic was his capacity for details.386
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
All his life Mr. Harris was a frequent contributor to the news-
papers, and on all sorts of subjects. His best known work, that has
made his name familiar to all students of our early Indian History,
is “The Aboriginal Occupation of the Lower Genesee Country.” The
value of this work cannot be too highly estimated, containing as it
does facts gathered from old residents, with whom would have per-
ished much that is of great interest, had it not been for the untiring
labors of Mr. Harris.
In Mr. Harris’s, terminology of the Genesee country he has left
us a most valuable collection of Indian names. In tracing the Indian
paths or trails that once crossed and re-crossed the Genesee valley
like a network, he had a field of labor distinctively his own and that
he excelled in it is witnessed by the following letter from the Honor-
able George S. Conover:
The Seneca Indians have long been aware of the great interest that
George H. Harris of Rochester, N. Y., has manifested in resurrecting Indian
history, and the energy he has exhibited in locating the sites of their former
villages. On account of the remarkable success he has had in tracing out and
locating the Indian paths or trails that once laced the Genesee valley, they
have recognized and called him the Pathfinder. A letter lately received from
Chester C. Lay, the United States interpreter for the Senecas on the Cat-
taraugus Reservation, says that in recognition of so eminent an Indianologist
as Mr. Harris has become, it has been decided to show their appreciation by
adopting him into the tribe and bestowing upon him the name of Ho-tar-
shan-nyooh, meaning “he has found the path,” or “the Pathfinder.” As Mr.
Lay is of the Wolf Clan, it necessarily follows that Mr. Harris among his
Indian brethren will be recognized as a member of the Wolf Clan, the same
clan to which Red Jacket belonged. This is a well-merited tribute and
worthily bestowed, as Mr. Harris has been for many years a diligent and
painstaking investigator of early local history, and has won for himself an
enviable reputation, being an acknowledged authority on Indian antiquities of
the region around Rochester and the Genesee valley.
(Signed)	Hy-we-saus.
Geneva, N. Y., February, 1889.
In making researches Mr. Harris was struck by the prominent
part played in the early history of Western New York by Horatio
Jones, his name recurring again and again. He was a man of good
family, whose early training, coupled with a fine physique and won-
derful powers of endurance, eminently fitted him for the remarkable
sequence of adventures through which he passed. Running away
from home when a boy, to fight the Indians, he was captured, made
to run the gauntlet and finally adopted by a Seneca family. Becom-
ing master of the language and customs, he obtained the entire con-
fidence and esteem of the Indians and figured prominently in many
important treaties as interpreter. Indeed Mr. Harris found this man
to be so woven into the early history of the country that he became
impressed with the idea of making him the grand figure around
which to group the many startling scenes of early times. . . . Be-
fore he laid down his pen forever he had brought his hero down to
a point where everything of historical value had been recorded, and
it only required a few closing scenes to have the work ready for pub-
lication. Mr. Harris left many other manuscripts which, when com-
piled, will undoubtedly be of much public interest. ...
Mr. Harris was an honorary member of the Buffalo, Waterloo,
and Livingston County Historical Societies, and an active member of
the Rochester Academy of Science, the Rochester Historical Society,
and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
I. The Capture.
In Western New York have occurred some of the most
thrilling episodes of American history. The home of the
fiercest of the Iroquois, it was early visited by the Jesuit and
coureur de bois, the French explorer and invader, the scout
and ranger. Among its pioneer population were men whose
reckless daring furnished themes for song and story. Of
the number Horatio Jones stood preeminent. His captivity,
his conspicuous and picturesque career in the pioneer days
of the Genesee Valley, and the region west to Lake Erie
and the Niagara, his valuable services as interpreter and
agent for the United States Government during its nego-
tiations with the native owners of the soil, made him an im-
portant factor of the history of Western New York during
the troublous times in which he lived. Fie was of Welsh
ancestry, a descendant of the Rev. Malachi Jones who im-
migrated to America and settled at Abington, 14 miles north
of Philadelphia, about 1714.* Horatio, the subject of this
sketch, was the first child of William and Elizabeth (Hun-
ter) Jones, and was born at Downington, Pa., Nov., 1763.
William Jones, by trade a gunsmith, was a believer in the
value of physical training; consequently, Horatio received
the personal instructions of his father and early led his com-
rades in wrestling, riding, quoits, casting the sledge and
* Further genealogical data will be found in a subsequent chapter, at the
close of the narrative.
387THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
other sports of the period. He was especially fleet in run-
ning. Unlike his brothers and sisters, Horatio had no great
love for books and acquired only the rudiments of English.
The influences of a refined home and intellectual associa-
tions left marks upon his manner and speech that were not
obliterated in the years passed with rude, unlettered men.
During his long life his language was correct and in his in-
tercourse with those about him his bearing was indicative
of gentle breeding.
In the workshop Horatio grew proficient in the use of
tools, became an excellent mechanic, and though a mere
youth, was assigned the difficult task of sighting the guns
brought to his father for repairs. He thus became more
skillful in the handling of arms than most men of the dis-
trict. This mechanical and physical training and experi-
ence in woodcraft proved of great value to him in later
days, while among the savages. From the soldiers and
scouts who frequented his father’s shop he gleaned facts
regarding the nature and customs of the Indians that aided
him greatly when he became associated with them in daily
life.
Bedford County, Pennsylvania, was erected from Cum-
berland in 1770 and included all the northwestern part of
the State. At the opening of the Revolution John Piper
of Yellow Creek was appointed commandant of the county
with the rank of lieutenant colonel. In 1777 he raised a
regiment of minute men for home service. When the first
Indian forays were made in Bedford County the inhabitants
adopted means of defence. In place of Fort Bedford, which
had been demolished several years previously, a stout stock-
ade called Fetler’s fort was erected at Frankstown on the
Juniata, and smaller forts were erected in various localities.
Fetler’s fort was occupied by troops and termed the Franks-
town garrison. In the spring of 1781, in consequence of the
frequent depredations of the Indians, a body of Cumberland
County militia, variously estimated at thirty-five to seventy-
five, under command of Colonel Albright and Capt. Brown,
were sent to Frankstown. Instead of scouring the country
to discover the enemy the soldiers remained in garrison. In-THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.	389
dian outrages continued and County Lieutenant Albright ad-
vised the settlers to organize a scouting party, promising* to
assist them with the Bedford Rangers.
The quasi-military life in which Horatio Jones passed
his boyhood fostered a natural love for adventure and he
looked forward impatiently to the time when he could bear
arms as a profession. In 1777 he joined one of Col. Piper’s
companies of minute men as fifer and served one winter in
camp. In his sixteenth year he enlisted in the Bedford
Rangers, performing some service as a scout. When off
duty he worked in his father’s shop.
About the last of May, 1781, Capt. Boyd, then command-
ing the rangers*, ordered a company to assemble for the pur-
pose of joining the Frankstown- scouts. Indian signs were
being discovered and it was thought the scouts would have
to do some fighting before they returned.
To Horatio’s surprise his father objected to his accom-
panying the rangers on this occasion. The father thought
him too young and that he would furnish one more scalp for
the Indians. Horatio was greatly mortified at the unex-
pected edict, as he thought himself the equal save in age of
several men in this company. He considered the refusal of
his father based upon a regard for his personal safety. To
the hot-headed youth it seemed cowardly to remain behind,
when others were going into peril for the protection of his
home. He thought it improbable that his father would re-
call him if he were fairly started. When the battle was
over and he returned, public sentiment would approve his
act. He decided to join the outgoing company and face
parental displeasure.
A word now as to existing conditions in Western New
York, with which our hero is soon to be concerned.
The “door of the long-house,” or most western town of
the Senecas prior to the Revolution, was located upon the
present (1893) farm of Alonzo A. Arnold, in the town of
Caneadea, on the east bank of the Genesee, some thirty
miles above Little Beard’s Town. The locative title of the
place was Gah-ne-ya-de-o, “where the heavens rest or lean
upon the earth,” since corrupted to Caneadea. The heredit-390
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
ary military sachem of the Iroquois league, Do-ne-ho-ga-
weh, or “open door,” had his residence there. The person
bearing this title at the beginning of the Revolution was an
aged man, who had in his early manhood taken the name of
a white friend, Hutson, commonly called Hudson. It was
a habit among the whites when they could not easily
pronounce the Indian, name of a chief to call him John;
hence John Hudson, John Blacksmith, John Luke, John
Abeel, Johnny John and a score of others. They in time
lost their native designations. After this Seneca sachem
became known as a military leader he was called Capt.
Hudson. It is said he knew every hill and valley and stream
of the section of New York and Pennsylvania lying be-
tween the Senecas on the Genesee and Alleghany, and the
settlements of the whites on the Susquehanna in the same
states. About 1770 Hudson’s eldest son sickened and died
and the second son of the sachem became the eldest of the
family. He was known as Hah-yen-de-seh, “Dragging
Wood,” or “Hemlock Carrier.” In the first campaigns of
the Revolution he won rank as a chieftain of note. It is
now impossible to distinguish the deeds of the old sachem
from those of his son in the early years of the war.
The second chief at Caneadea in 1779 was Gah-nee-
scngo, “Man fond of berries.” He and Hah-yen-de-seh had
been friends from childhood, inseparable companions in peace
and war, won their honors together and now ranked equally
as chiefs. Gah-ne-songo was a dignified man of powerful
frame and great strength. The British officers with whom
he often associated, abbreviated his name to ShongO' and
after the Revolution he was termed Col. Shongo.*
Among the British adherents at Fort Niagara was a
Capt. Nelles. In the same company with him was Lieut.
Robert Nelles, his son. Early in, the spring of 1781 Col.
Butler ordered Nelles with his company to the Genesee.
Marching to Gah-an-o-deo he procured a log house, took
an Indian wife and set up housekeeping in primitive style.
Not caring for the fatigue and discomforts of a forest march
* His descendants now reside on the Cattaraugus Reservation, and in Buf-
falo.THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.	391
at that season of the year, Capt. Nelles placed a platoon of
men under the command of his son and rallied the Indians
under the lieutenant in an expedition to Pennsylvania to cut
off bodies of continental troops passing between the Sus-
quehanna and Ohio rivers. Hey-en-de-seh had changed his
residence to a town afterwards known as Ah-wes-coy, on the
west side of the Genesee, about seven miles below Caneadea.
The latter name was also applied to the valley lying between
the two villages. In later days Shongo told a Mr. Baker
that John Hudson and himself were the leaders of the ex-
pedition. As it was organized at the lower town, the one to
whom Shongo referred was probably Hah-yen-de-seh,
though old Captain Hudson accompanied and guided the
party.
While preparations for the expedition were in progress
one family of Senecas residing at Ah-wes-coy viewed them
with sorrow. In a previous, foray upon a settlement of
whites the members of this family had lost a son and
brother, a promising young brave named To-an-do-qua.
The season of mourning had nearly passed, yet the mother
refused to be reconciled. The stir and confusion in the
town reminded her of that other time when her brave son
marched proudly away into the forest never to return. She
reflected upon the probable results of the contemplated ex-
pedition and became inspired with the idea of averting, in
a degree, the horrors of warfare by securing the capture,
instead of the killing, of some innocent youth. With this
thought in mind the woman approached a chief named
Do-eh-saw* who resided at Deonundagao. Though in out-
ward appearance an Indian, the chief was really a half-breed
son of a white trader, and, was generally known as Jack
Berry. He was a powerful man, though not above medium
height, swift on foot, brave and in the forefront of any con-
flict in which he engaged; yet he was kind-hearted and the
Seneca mother knew he had been a good friend to her boy.
To this man the woman made a request, that, from the sol-
* The word signifies one who propels, pushes, himself or makes either pro-
gress or resistance like a sturdy or obstinate animal; the idea being strength
and courage as manifested in a beast of burden, like a mule.892	THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
diers the Indians were going to attack, he would bring her
the youngest captive they might take, to replace the lost
To-an-do-qua. As a sign of her commission to him and of
her right to the prisoner, she gave Do-eh-saw a belt of
wampum bearing her clan totem and family mark. The
chief accepted the belt and promised to consider her re-
quest.
When the British-Indian expedition left the Genesee, it
consisted of Lieut. Nelles commanding, his platoon of
rangers, nearly a hundred warriors and some squaws. They
crossed the Genesee early in May, took the Niagara trail
southward through Chautauqua valley, crossed over to. the
Canisteo, down that stream to the Tioga, thence by Pine
Creek (Ti-a-dagh-ton) to the west branch of the Susque-
hanna (Ot-zin-ach-son), marched through forest trails, and
established their camp about a two days’ journey from Bed-
ford. It was a custom of the Indians to form such a camp
as a base of operations, where they left the women and
baggage, the warriors going and coming as they pleased.
From the reserved camp the warriors advanced to the
Juniata intending to attack some of the forts, or to cut off
troops on the march. It appears that Shongo led a band
some distance down the Juniata, but learning of the num-
ber of soldiers at Frankstown fort, he proceeded up the
river and joined Hudson, who had formed a temporary
camp at a place called Hart’s Log. Thence they sent out
runners to watch the garrison. These spies saw white
scouts in the vicinity and notified the chiefs, who hastily
called a council. They decided to form an ambuscade at a
favorable place on the river, so the war-party retreated into
the forest to await the coming night.
The white scouts discovered the camp, found it recently
abandoned and hurried to Frankstown to give the alarm.
The Indians permitted their safe return, hoping, by so do-
ing, to secure a larger number of victims at a later hour.
The place selected for ambush was near a ford of the river
not far from, the fort. The location seemed to afford little
opportunity for the concealment of a body of men, but theTHE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
393
Iroquois were adepts in forest stratagem and laid their
plans with skill.
June 2d the scouting party assembled at Holliday’s fort,
a mile or so below Fetler’s. This fort had been built for a
stable but was a strong building and had been loop-holed
for a garrison or to serve as a place of refuge. Instead of a
full company of rangers there were Capt. Boyd, Lieutenant
Woods, and eight men; the volunteers numbering twenty-
three or four men, including several of the most experi-
enced woodsmen and Indian fighters of the Alleghany fron-
tier. The personnel of the company was about as follows:
Capt. John Boyd, the eldest of three brothers—William fell
at the battle of the Brandywine and Thomas was horribly
tortured and killed at the Genesee Castle in 1779; Lieuten-
ant Harry Woods, a son of the George Woods of Bedford,
released from Fort Du Quesne in 1756 through Chief Hud-
son; Capt. Moore, one of the famous Moore family of
Scotch Valley; he with Lieutenant Smith had recruited
nearly all the volunteers; Capt. Dunlap, a militia officer
then off regular duty; Lieut. John Cook, a relative of the
Col. Wm. Cook of Northumberland County, under whom
Moses Van Campen first served.
These men were versed in Indian warfare, of tried cour-
age and patriotism. Among the men in the ranks were Wil-
liam and Adam Holliday; James Summerville, son-in-law
of Adam Holliday; Thomas and Michael Coleman; a
George Jones and brother; Michael Wallack; Edward
Milligan; William and John McDonald; Ross; Ricketts;
Beatty; Gray; Johnson, and Horatio Jones. Whether the
Jones brothers were relatives of Horatio or not is. not
known.
The Americans wore the dress of the frontiersmen of that
time:	A cap, hunting-shirt or frock, breeches or leggins,
and moccasins. The frock was gathered at the waist by a
belt tied in the back. Bullet-pouch, wadding and other small
Articles were carried in the frock above the belt, from which
were suspended a tomahawk and hunting-knife. The moc-
casins were of dressed deer skins made with flaps reaching
to the shin, and secured by long strings bound around the894
THE LIFE OF HORATIO I ONES.
ankles and legs. Each man was also armed with a rifle and
its equipments.
These men set out for Fetter’s where they planned to
spend the following day, Sunday, thence to march through
the Kitanning Gap to a road that led to Pittsburg, and home
by way of Bedford. While completing their arrangements
to leave Fetler’s the two scouts came in- and reported the
discovery of the Indian camp at Hart’s Log, saying the
savages probably numbered twenty-five or thirty, the fires
were still burning and the enemy doubtless near at hand.
A fight was probable and the scouts were eager for the fray.
The officers felt sure the savages would not venture into the
settlement until the following day and thought best to march
out and meet the invaders near the mouth of the gap. They
tendered the command to Colonel Albright and asked him
to permit some of his men, who were anxious to go, to ac-
company them. The Colonel refused both requests, not al-
lowing his men to leave the fort.
Just before daylight Sunday morning they ate breakfast,
took five days’ provisions, loaded their rifles and started for
the mountains. A narrow path ran close along the river;
the men marched in single file, with Capt. Boyd at their
head, in command. A thick fog rendered even near objects
invisible. The scouts deemed this condition a favorable one
as it would conceal them from observation. The obscurity
covered all traces of the ambuscade as well. When the
company reached the flat within thirty rods of Sugar Run,
the British and Indians poured a murderous volley into the
single line of scouts and, springing up with tomahawks in
hand, awoke the echoes of the wilderness with appalling
yells. The surprise was complete. A number fell, several
fled without discharging their guns, but Capt. Boyd, Lieut.
Cook and a few other veteran fighters bravely held their
ground, raised a yell and returned fire, killing some of the
savages.
Seeing they were greatly outnumbered, Boyd ordered
his gallant men to save themselves. They at once scattered.
As Boyd turned to run the Indians pursued. They struck
him several times with their Tomahawks before he surren-THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
395
dered. Lieut. Cook was a powerful man and swift runner,
but the four warriors who pursued him threw their weapons
and knocked him down, when he was promptly secured.
Capt. Dunlap, Ross and the two McDonalds- who were in
Boyd’s company, were seized upon the battle ground. Lieut.
Woods discharged his rifle and with Wallack and Summer-
ville crossed the river, running up what was later known
as O’Friel’s Ridge, pursued by Hay-en-de-seh, who cal-
culated either to kill or capture the three men. Summer-
ville’s moccasin became loose and as he stooped to-fix it the
chief approached with uplifted tomahawk. Woods aimed
his empty rifle at the Indian who sheltered himself behind
a tree, but quickly recognizing the officer shouted out, “No
hurt you Woods! No hurt you Woods!” exposing himself
to view. Woods, seeing that he was the son of the Seneca
chief who had saved his father from torture in 1756, and
had often visited at the senior Woods’ in Bedford, dropped
his gun. Hudson made no further demonstration of hos-
tility and allowed the other two rangers to escape over the
ridge. One of the Jones brothers was the first to reach the
fort with news of the disaster. Capt. Young started out
with help to bring in the wounded. The other Jones
brother had been killed and scalped. Five wounded men
were found as well as the mutilated bodies of nearly half
the company.
When the first volley was fired Horatio was marching
proudly along in line. Deafened by the firing and half
blinded by the smoke, he was caught in the sudden rush of
those who fled and carried to the middle of the river. The
rattle of musketry, the yells of the savages, the shrieks of
the wounded filled the air. Forgetting his visions of
bravery he sprang up the bank and ran straight away from
the scene of action. Suddenly two Indians appeared before
him with leveled guns; in presence of more immediate dan-
ger his scattered senses began to return, and while he
changed his direction he wondered if this were indeed his
last moment. He glanced over his shoulder and saw the
Indians in hot pursuit. Seeing that he had gained upon
them and encouraged by a hope of escape he turned about,396
THE LIFE OF HORATIO I ONES.
raised his rifle to his shoulder, took aim at the foremost
pursuer and pulled the trigger. It missed fire and to his
dismay he discovered that the priming had been wet in the
river and that the weapon was1 useless; but when he raised
his rifle the Indians had dropped to the ground to discon-
cert his aim and thus had not discovered the condition of
his gun.
Comprehending that his escape now depended upon his
fleetness alone,. Horatio closed the rifle pan, renewed his
flight, crossed the valley and began to ascend the hill. Just
then, the long string of one of his moccasins becoming loose,
it began snapping about his legs, impeding his progress.
The fog was clearing up; he thought he heard some one
call him. Looking back again he saw the foremost warrior
raise his hand and heard him shout in plain English, “Stop
boy, stop!” At that instant the vexatious moccasin string
caught in a shrub throwing him heavily to the ground.
Though stunned by the shock he retained his senses and
hastily attempted to rise. Finding his foot fastened he
made a violent effort to free himself, rolled over and sat up.
As the pursuers came up, gun in hand, it was evident to him
that any further effort to escape would result in being shot.
He decided to sit still. As the Indians approached, Horatio
looked steadily at them to discover some intimation of their
intentions, and if necessary, make a desperate effort at de-
fence. The mild manner of the leading warrior dissipated
his fears and he made no show of resistance. The Indian
halted within a few feet of him, dropped the butt of his
rifle to the ground, leaned upon the muzzle, looked smilingly
down at the young ranger and addressed him pleasantly:
“No be scart, me no hurt you; you berry nice boy; you
run like deer; you make fine Indian boy; me good friend;
me help you.” Stooping over he released the strings, fas-
tened the moccasin, placed his hand on Horatio’s shoulder
and said quietly but authoritatively “Dis-dot” (“get up”).
Notwithstanding the smiling face, the sharp eyes watched
every motion of the captive with keen interest, and as the
latter stood up submissively the warrior took from his own
person a belt of wampum and placed it around Horatio’sTHE LIFE OF HORATIO IONES.
397
neck. Picking up the rifle he removed the flint, threw out
the wet powder, handed the weapon to the boy and, still
smiling, extended his hand saying, “Go with me.” Re-
assured, Horatio suffered his captors to lead him back to a
spot near the point from which he first started to escape.
Then the two Indians took away his weapons, bound a
blanket about his legs so that he could move only at a slow
walk, and left him in the company of some of his late com-
rades, who were huddled together under the care of five
qr six young warriors.
II. The March.
Horatio now had the opportunity to look about; he care-
fully noted every particular of his surroundings. The con-
flict was over and singly and in groups the Indians were
returning from the pursuit of the fleeing Americans, bring-
ing in two or three more captives. Near by lay the bodies
of several rangers and warriors. As the boy stood staring
at the inanimate forms, trying to realize what had happened,
the savages set to work scalping the dead soldiers. The
mutilated bodies of the whites were stripped and left upon
the ground, while the greatest efforts were made to conceal
the remains of the warriors. The arms and other effects of
the dead men were gathered and placed in heaps; the most
important trophies of the fight were nine scalps exultantly
flaunted before the shrinking captives. During this time
the British and Indians scrutinized the prisoners to see if
any of them could be identified. The general interest soon
centered upon Horatio Jones, at whom the savages stared
with undisguised curiosity. He was a perfect specimen of
vigorous, healthful youth, with light complexion, ruddy
cheeks, grey eyes and hair tending to auburn, a color greatly
admired by the black-haired savages. “Hoc-sa-ah hoc-sa-
go-wah” (“the boy is very handsome”), they said; but the
object of their admiration did not understand their re-
marks, and his fears were excited by these attentions which398
THE LIFE OF HORATIO I ONES.
ceased only when the warriors gathered in a group to talk
over the situation.
The prisoners now exchanged a few words of condolence
and expressed to each other the belief that their comrades
who had escaped would soon return with a large party to
rescue them. Their hopes were not to be realized. That
the soldiers had marched out to attack them convinced the
leaders of the war party that Fort Fetler was strongly gar-
risoned, and that a larger party of troops would speedily be
sent out to avenge the defeat of the rangers. A number
had been killed and they were now encumbered with pris-
oners and plunder. They decided to retreat. The plunder
was tied in large packages and fastened on the shoulders of
the captives, who were placed in the middle of the party,
and the band immediately took the back trail into the wil-
derness.
The prisoners included Capts. Boyd and Dunlap, Lieu-
tenant Cook, the two McDonalds, Ross, Johnson and Hora-
tio Jones, the last being the youngest of the party, though
others were quite young. Each captive had a blanket bound
about his legs to prevent an attempt to escape; the grass
was still wet with dew, the blankets became saturated and
obstructed the movements of the men to such a degree that
they were removed.
After marching at a rapid rate for several hours, Capt.
Dunlap, who was severely wounded, showed signs of ex-
haustion. Blows failed to keep him in pace with the war-
riors ; at last he was so weak that he staggered under his
load. Without the slightest warning a painted savage
stepped behind the wounded man, buried a tomahawk deep
in his neck and jerked him over backwards. As the officer
fell, the wretch stripped off his scalp and left him quivering
in the agonies of death. Dunlap’s fate was a frightful
warning to his companions of what they themselves might
expect. They dare not exhibit the slightest resentment of
the deed, and the stern commands of their masters, together
with blows from the tomahawk handles, hastened them on-
ward. In the afternoon a runner was sent ahead to notifyTHE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
399
the reserve camp of the return party and to hasten their
preparations for a speedy departure.
They reached the camp in the evening. They knew that
the white scouts could trace their party to camp, and fear-
ing a large force would attack them, they halted only long
enough to allow the squaws to finish packing, when the
entire band moved on. Years later Horatio Jones would
recall the horrors of that night’s march. Some of the cap-
tives had had no sleep the previous night, and all had
marched at a rapid rate many hours' without food. Borne
down by heavy burdens, urged along by cruel savages, faint,
fearful that each moment might be their last, they stumbled
forward in the darkness. After many hours’ travel in the
dense gloom, the leaders called a halt. Warriors and cap-
tives alike threw themselves upon the ground too weary to
think of aught but rest; they sank into uneasy slumber.
At daylight they rose from the damp earth and resumed
their journey. Although they had then reached a point be-
yond the probable danger of being overtaken by a pur-
suing force, they were still within range of scouting parties
sent out from stations along the West Branch and liable
any moment to an attack; hence they preserved strictest
silence and moved with caution. All that day the party
hastened through the shadows of the forest, spending an-
other miserable night on the ground without shelter, fire or
food. The third day even the Indians were visibly suffer-
ing. No hunting was allowed, not a gun having been dis-
charged since the battle. The third afternoon a bear was
discovered and to prevent starvation a warrior fired at and
killed it. The band halted and gathered about the carcass,
which was soon cut in pieces and distributed. The pris-
oners received as their portion the entrails and a small quan-
tity of flesh, which was devoured raw; the long fast had
destroyed all sense of taste.
Not long after this the company crossed the Susque-
hanna and camped for the night in a secluded spot near
the Sinnemahoning Creek. Scouts sent out to scour the
neighborhood returned with a fair supply of meat and the
information that no sign of the enemy could be discovered.400
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
The food and a prospect of a night’s rest would have made
the prisoners comparatively happy but for the uncertainty
regarding their future. Knowing Indian customs, they
had reason to believe that they were driven alive through the
wilderness only to suffer torture at the stake. Their fears
were but too speedily realized.* Capt. Boyd, faint from the
loss of blood, was tied to an oak sapling and compelled to
be a spectator of the torture of Ross. It was his turn next
and he quietly resigned himself to his fate. While these
fiends were making preparations to torture him, he sang a
pathetic Free-Masons’ song with a plaintive voice that at-
tracted their attention; they listened to it very closely till
he was through.
At this critical moment an elderly squaw came up and
claimed him for her son. The Indians did not interfere.
She dressed his wounds and attended him carefully through
the remainder of the journey. “Lieutenant Cook’s captors
amused themselves by burning his legs with fire brands and
as he was exhausted from the loss of blood from his wounds
he was scarcely able to walk.”f
On leaving Sinnemahoning Creek the Indians thought
themselves so safe that they began to relax in vigilance,
were not so careful about making a noise, and permitted
their prisoners greater liberty of action; they also sent out
hunting parties, without however much success, for the
frequent passage of war parties had driven most of the
larger game away from the trails. In the afternoon the
hunters joined the main body on the march. They had
succeeded in killing a deer and as the place where they met
was a convenient one in which to camp, there being plenty
of water and wood, they were soon busy with their prepara-
tions for supper and the night. The captives were all so
bound that they could not travel faster than a walk nor use
* “Ross was very badly wounded,” says J. F. Meginness in his history of
the West Branch of the Susquehanna called “Otzinachson,” "and being unable
to travel, his captors determined to massacre him in a cruel manner. He was
fastened to a stake, his body stuck full of pitch pine splinters and fire applied.
They danced around him making the woods resound with their hideous yells.
His tortures were terrible but at length death put an end to his sufferings.”
tMeginness.THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
401
their hands to relieve themselves of their burdens. Their
assistance being needed in making camp, their bonds were
loosened and their packs taken off. Some of the young In-
dians were ordered to prepare the deer and bring in the
venison and Jones was told to go with them. Cheered by a
measure of freedom and with the prospect of a supper and
willing to show his good will in the matter, he pushed to
the front where he found himself by the side of a savage,
who, by general assent seemed to be the leader of the party.
This warrior was small and lean with short bowed legs.
His profile reminded Horatio of a reaping-hook sharpened
on the outer edge, but he was wiry and as he moved along
there was evidence of muscular power that suggested un-
usual strength. In fact, in spite of his appearance, he was
the fleetest runner among the Senecas, and had been em-
ployed as messenger by the officers at Fort Niagara, who
jestingly said he ran so swiftly his shins cut the air. He
thus became known to the whites as Sharp Shins.*
Up to this time Sharp Shins had never been beaten on
foot and the Indians had no fear that the captive could es-
cape while the famous runner bore him company; but
Horatio had no knowledge of the powers of his companion
and no other thought than a desire to obtain a supper of
meat as speedily as possible. The party set off at a smart
run and the white boy quickly took the lead; becoming
aware that the captive was in advance Sharp Shins gave a
shrill yell drawing the attention of the entire party, and
darted forward. Horatio' had taken a dislike to the runner
and determined not to let him have the satisfaction of win-
ning in the race. Putting forth all his energies he increased
the distance between himself and the Indians and reached
the carcass, of the deer several feet in advance of Sharp
Shins. When the attention of the warriors was called to
the race by the yell of the runner they shouted their ap-
proval, but as the captive gained in the lead it occurred to
them that he was attempting to escape and nearly the en-
tire band joined in pursuit. As soon as Horatio halted be-
side the deer he was surrounded by the excited warriors
* His Seneca name was Ha-ah-ta-o, “He climbs.”402
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
who whirled their tomahawks about his head to the con-
sternation of his fellow-prisoners who expected to see him
butchered on the spot. Appreciating the gravity of the
situation he folded his arms and stood like a statue in the
center of a circle of whooping savages. Some one called
out in the Indian tongue that the boy was not trying to
escape and that he should be praised and not hurt as he
had beaten their swiftest runner in a fair race. Satisfied
that this was the case the mood of the warriors, instantly
changed and their demonstrations of delight were unre-
strained. Yelling with glee they cut ridiculous capers and
cried out, “Hoc-sa-go-wah ha-yah-no-weh; sa-qart-neh-ga-
ha”; (“The handsome boy is a fast runner; he runs like
the wind”). Then as if by a common impulse they desired
to attest his victory over their comrade they repeated the
phrase “Ha-yah-no-weh, ha-yah-no-weh”; (“He is a fast
runner; he is a fast runner”). Sharp Shins, amazed at his
defeat stood sullenly aside. When his fellow warriors con-
tinued to taunt him his rage was beyond control and draw-
ing his tomahawk he rushed furiously at Horatio and at-
tempted to strike him down. The others promptly inter-
posed and Do-eh-saw claiming the captive lad as his personal
property, dared the defeated runner to injure him at his
peril.
The speed which had been exhibited by Horatio on two
occasions convinced them he could distance their fastest
runners in a fair race, and they determined to disable
him from making a third display of his prowess. They
seized him, dragged him roughly back to camp, laid
him upon his back, stretched out his legs and arms, tied
each with thongs to a separate tree, pinned the thongs
closely to the earth with crotched sticks, then drove stakes
crosswise over his arms, legs and body. Satisfied that the
boy could not move the Indians' turned their attention to
the carcass of the deer, which was hastily skinned. As be-
fore, they gave the intestines to the prisoners, but on divid-
ing the meat a fair portion was allotted each captive except
Horatio. At sunset rain set in and fell steadily through
the night upon the motionless form of the young ranger,THE LIFE OF HORATIO I ONES.	403
chilling him through. If an occasional thought of the com-
fortable home and loving family he had left obtruded itself
it was quickly crowded out of his mind by the pains of in-
tense hunger. He could smell the burning flesh as great
pieces were thrown upon the hot coals to roast, but the sav-
ages did not give him a mouthful. The savory scent tan-
talized his senses during the long hours of that miserable
night. Our frontier boy knew that his existence and fu-
ture comfort depended entirely upon his fortitude and en-
durance. He lay without complaint until the dawn of day
aroused the camp and the expedition was ready to resume
the march. His apparent indifference to his physical suf-
ferings and his manifest good humor when released had
their effect upon the warriors. They seemed to think they
had been too severe with him and in some measure to atone
for their unnecessary cruelty they gave him a substantial
breakfast of venison and permitted him to dry his clothes
and warm himself by the fire. Upon resuming the march
they permitted him to walk unbound, and by and by relieved
him of his pack. Horatio was satisfied he owed these in-
dulgences to his captor Do-eh-saw and determined to show
his gratitude in every way he could. During the day he
kept close to him and sought to win his confidence.
In order to secure captives at night the Indians usually
made a rude sort of stocks by cutting down a tree and hack-
ing notches a few inches in depth along the fallen trunk.
Prisoners were then compelled to place their ankles in the
notches. A pole was put on the tree trunk above them and
fastened down tight with cross stakes driven into the
ground. A second and heavier pole was laid in the V
formed by the cross sticks. In addition a cord was passed
over the bodies' of the victims and under several Indians at
each end. Horatio was left unbound that, night when the
other prisoners were secured.
He crept closely to Do-eh-saw and encouraged by a
fiiendly smile lay quietly down by him. Thereafter he slept
always by that .warrior’s side. Pie began to look upon Do-
eh-saw as a trusty friend and protector. He soon became
convinced that as long as he kept up with the rest in the404
THE LIFE OF HORATIO I ONES.
march and made no effort to escape he had little reason to
fear immediate danger from the party. From, the hour he
was relieved of his own pack he helped Johnson, who was
over sixty years of age, with his, and frequently availed
himself of his own freedom of action to assist other com-
rades less able than himself to endure fatigue.
From the Sinnemahoning Creek the war-party crossed
the country to the Tioga River and followed that stream to
the mouth of the Cohocton, on their homeward journey.
Here they decided to halt for a few days’ rest. The camping
place was known as Da-ne-ne-ta-quen-deh, “where two val-
leys come together.”* Here several principal Indian trails
crossed and it was frequented by Indians journeying east,
west, north and south. Several wigwams- were located near
the river and there were many cultivated fields about. A
huge post painted in a fantastic manner to represent an
enemy stood in the open. When war parties halted at the
camp they usually held brag dances about the post. Any
one could brag and dance after making a small present to
the “master of ceremonies,” usually the head warrior. The
proceeds were a benefit for the whole party.
After their arrival the Genesee warriors proposed to hold
a dance on the second evening. Large fires were started to
give light, and Indians, British and prisoners, gathered in a
great circle about the post. Most of the audience sat or lay
on the ground smoking pipes, some Indians on one side
beating a small drum and shaking rattles, occasionally ac-
companying the instruments with monotonous vocal exer-
cises which were anything but inspiring to the white pris-
oners. The dancer advanced to the post, pranced about it,
and addressed it as though the thing were a real enemy.
Recounting in a loud voice the history of his personal
achievements, the braggart danced or rather mimicked the
motions of the act described-, derided his imaginary foe in
* This was a descriptive term applied to other similar localities and had no
local significance with Painted Post. It was also applied to the present location
of Bath, and Dr. Lewis H. Morgan renders it “Do-na-ta-ta gwen-da,” “Opening
in an opening.” Horatio Jones narrated these facts about Painted Post to Or-
lando Allen. The first white settlers found the post and named the place
Painted Post, now Erwin, Steuben Co., N. Y.THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
405
unmeasured terms, then striking the post with his toma-
hawk retired amid loud applause. When the scenes of the
Juniata Valley were rehearsed by the savage participants
and the scalps of the murdered rangers were paraded before
the survivors, all their courage was needed to prevent an
outbreak of their rage. Prudence forbade any show of feel-
ing, and hiding their resentment they sat quietly among the
crowd of Indians and British until the hateful ceremonies
ended.
From the hour of his capture Horatio had worn the belt
of wampum placed about his neck by his captor, who had
cautioned him not to lose it nor permit any person to re-
move it. He perceived that he was treated more leniently
than his comrades were and could not but think that the belt
of wampum was in some way connected with the preference.
Do-eh-saw understood and could speak the English lan-
guage fairly well but he was taciturn with Jones; however
he was good-natured and frankly answered questions. As
time passed on and the young protege grew in favor the
Indian became somewhat communicative. While the war-
party lay at the painted post, Horatio ventured to ask for an
explanation from the chief. Do-eh-saw told him that an
Indian mother had sent out the belt to secure for herself
from among the prisoners taken the youngest to be a son
to her in place of her own boy, lost in a recent foray, and
accordingly he was to be given to the woman after they
reached the Seneca village; that his interest in Horatio was
accepted by the warriors and that they all looked upon the
young captive as one of their own people; hence he need
have no fear of being ill-treated upon the journey. But
Do-eh-saw also told him that it was- the custom of the In-
dians to “caress” all captives brought to their villages; in
other words the inhabitants vented their spite by beating
the prisoners and many times taking their lives. This was a
rule and no male prisoner was exempt, as it afforded those
who had been left at home a chance to vent their vindictive-
ness upon their enemies. Even if his captor adopted him
he could not save him from the perils of the gauntlet as it
was considered a test of the victim's courage and endurance.408
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
When the war-party should reach the home village all the
captives were alike to be subjected to the trial; if Horatio
lived through it his future was assured.
From the “painted post” the band followed up the Canis-
teo valley, through the Chautauqua valley,* along the main
Niagara trail to the vicinity of what is now known as Hunt’s
Hollow, Livingston Co., New York. Here, leaving the
Niagara trail, they turned to the south and descended the
hillside to the bottom of a deep valley where a swift stream
flowed over the rocks. “Kish-a-wah,” Do-eh-saw’ answered
when Horatio asked him the name of the creek. Crossing
the stream, they camped on the southern bank near the
ground now known as Hunt’s Hollow. A spring of excel-
lent water flowed from the hillside and there were many in-
dications that the spot had long been a favorite resort of the
Indians. The prisoners had now become familiar with their
captors and while the vigilance of the latter was unrelaxed
they were friendly enough and shared with their captives
their scanty provisions. The prisoners collected sticks and
brush for the camp fires and as the shadows of evening deep-
ened in the valley many of the men gathered in groups.
Horatio was seated by Do-eh-saw, who was smoking his
pipe near a fire, when he noticed that the warrior was more
than usually grave: he soon found out that he was con-
cerned about his young protege. He told the boy that on the
morrow they would reach the Genesee. He described to
Horatio the manner of the prisoners’ reception and charged
him to keep as close to him as he could and strictly to fol-
low whatever orders he might give him; if so, perhaps some
of the horrors of running the gauntlet might be avoided. So
saying the kindly Indian stretched himself upon the ground
to sleep and Horatio lay by his side, thinking of the ap-
proaching day and what his fate might be.
When the sun rose on the morning of June 20th upon
the valley of the Kishawa the camp was aroused by the
sentries posted by Lieut. Nelles. The soldiers brightened
their firearms and the warriors adorned their persons in the
finery they had captured, painted their faces and displayed
* In the northeastern corner of Allegany county.THE LIFE OF HORATIO I ONES.	407
upon their lances the captured scalps. A small body of In-
dians led the way up the hillside, the rangers marching next.
Then came the prisoners, followed by the main body of the
savage party. After passing over comparatively level
ground, the trail led down a steep slope through a broad
hollow and struck a small brook, followed down its course,
sometimes along the edge of the water which it occasionally
crossed, the passage growing narrower and the pathway
steeper as they went on. The ravine was densely wooded,
and gloomy, and the hearts of the captives were oppressed
by forebodings. Constantly descending, it seemed to them
an endless path before they came to a break in the foliage,
emerged from the dense shadows, and stood in the bright
sunlight upon the bank of the Genesee. The river swept
around the foot of the hill down which they had come, and
was in sight for a short distance only, but the captives saw
stretched before them a great valley enclosed by densely
wooded slopes. Turning to the left the party followed the
trail along the foot of the slope forming the east side of the
valley, and within an hour halted upon the river opposite
to the home village of these Senecas.
III. The Gauntlet.
In an open space several acres in extent a few bark huts,
ordinary houses, and a large building of hewn logs were
visible. This last stood by itself upon an elevation a quarter
of a mile away. It was well made after the style of the bet-
ter class of frontier buildings; it had been put up by Eng-
lish carpenters from Niagara. A white flag was flying from
a staff on the roof, marking it as the “long house” or coun-
cil house of the village.
The warriors gathered in a compact body and uttered a
series of yells to announce their arrival, the losses the party
had sustained and the number of captives and scalps they
had brought home. The echoes had scarcely ceased rever-
berating along the hills, when men, women and children
armed with tomahawks, clubs, knives, whips and other408
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
weapons came running from all directions of the town,
forming two disorderly lines extending from the council
house down nearly to the river opposite to the place where
the war party stood. While these movements were in pro-
gress the prisoners stood in the midst of their grim captors
watching the proceedings, and as they saw the extent and
nature of the preparations for their reception their hopes
died within them. It seemed impossible that anyone should
escape death or mortal injuries while attempting to run
through those formidable lines of savages, who had all lost
friends in encounters with the whites and many of whom
had undoubtedly been bereft of near relatives in this very
expedition and were exasperated to the height of fury.*
Before giving the order to cross the river Lieut. Nelles ad-
dressed the prisoners, saying he thought it right to tell them
that immediately after reaching the opposite side, when the
word should be given, they were to run for their lives and
endeavor to reach the house on the hill where the white flag
was waving. According to Indian usage any person in the
lines of people they saw had a right to strike, wound or kill
them and they could expect no mercy before they succeeded
in getting into it; once there they would be safe until the
council decided their fate.
Crossing the stream, fordable at that point, with the pris-
oners in the van, the party ascended the bank. On reaching
the level ground the signal was given. Boyd and William
McDonald, hoping to gain some slight advantage by a sud-
den start, instantly bounded forward and were at once fol-
lowed by all the other captives except Horatio. Their ap-
pearance was greeted by a chorus of yells and shrieks as
the mob of young men, women and children rushed forward
like wild beasts, each one frantically struggling to strike a
blow at the victims.
Do-eh-saw had been standing in the front rank of the
war-party with Horatio by his side. As the other prisoners
started he moved in front of Horatio, concealing him until
the attention of the mob was entirely occupied with the
other captives who had made considerable headway, when
Orlando Allen’s narrative.THE LIFE, OF HORATIO JONES.	409
he suddenly stepped aside, gave Horatio a push and said,
“Run, boy, run!” Horatio nerved himself for the trial.
Seeing the advantage of this slight delay and confident of
his fleetness he put forth his greatest energies. The atten-
tion of the Indians nearest him was so engrossed by what
was going on ahead that Jones fled past them unobserved
until he had nearly overtaken the party in advance, when
the Indians began to aim their blows at him. These he
avoided as best he could by dodging from side to side and
passing some of the captives, when he found himself near
Boyd, McDonald and Johnson, all of whom had reached the
“long house” slightly in advance of himself. The men had
been roughly handled and were bleeding from many wounds,
but according to Indian usage were entitled to free entrance
to the council house and immunity from further abuse.
Three or four ferocious young Indians were huddled about
the door with uplifted weapons, and, despite the warning
cries from the older warriors attacked the three white men.
The leader, a young savage named the Wolf, was armed
with a sword. As Johnson came up the savage struck him
a frightful blow with the sword taking off the top of his
head. Horatio was so near the victim that brains were
dashed over his face and breast. The young demon slashed
and hacked again and again at Johnson’s body. Fear for
himself gave place in Horatio’s bosom to rage at the cow-
ardly murder and he paused to avenge him, but the com-
rades of the Wolf, beginning to attack the rest of the pris-
oners who were struggling in the doorway, he turned sud-
denly to one side and came face to face with Sharp Shins,
who stood with raised tomahawk ready to cleave his skull.
From the time of his defeat in the race for the deer
Sharp Shins had avoided the fleet-footed young ranger,
biding his time to avenge his defeat. He had been sent in
advance to announce the home-coming of the party, and had
stationed himself in line near the council house, not doubt-
ing that Horatio would succeed in reaching that goal, where
he could be sure of the chance to tomahawk him. The sud-
den turn made by his intended victim disconcerted him and
he hesitated to strike. Before the revengeful savage could410
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
rally Horatio had dashed through a break in the mob; with
a howl of rage Sharp Shins hurled his axe at the fleeing
form. To the day of his death Horatio Jones never recalled,
without a shudder, the sound produced by the whirling
tomahawk as it passed close to his head and buried itself
in the earth. Whether he was indebted for his escape to
his own skill in dodging the missile or to the haste of the
thrower he never knew.
With the idea prominent in his mind that he must obtain
entrance to the council house, he instinctively turned towards
the building and dodged around the corner. The wall of
the building was unbroken by door or window. A path
leading into a thicket close at hand opened before him.
With a bound he was in the bush and out of sight of the
struggling mob. Pursuing the path with all his speed he
quickly emerged from the thicket into a clearing where he
discovered, only a few feet in advance, a rude house, past
the door of which the path led.
On arrival of the runner with the news of the returning
expedition the Seneca mother, who had commissioned Berry
to bring her a son, being unwilling to witness the cruelties
of the gauntlet, remained in her home with her daughter,
while the male members of the family joined in the frightful
ceremonies. From their house in the woods the women
heard the whoops announcing the arrival of the war-party.
As the dreadful race began they could distinguish the sounds
of turmoil and the approach towards the long house. Stand-
ing at the opening serving as a window to their humble
home, they listened closely to note the first indication that
the captives had passed the ordeal. Suddenly the bushes
growing along the path leading to the long house were
agitated as by the passage of one in haste, and a boy, dazed
by fright, dashed into the opening. Was it Providence
that warmed the heart of his captor, assisted the lad to es-
cape the perils of the gauntlet and led his footsteps to the
only habitation in all that wilderness in which he could es-
cape death? Was it instinct that directed the attention of
the Indian woman to the wampum belt on the breast of the
terrified young runner, or an over-ruling Providence? AtTHE LIFE OF HORATIO I ONES.
411
a glance she recognized the token she had sent forth to the
settlements of the whites. With a cry to the daughter the
woman ran out of the doorway as the boy came near. Before
he could fully realize the occurrence the women caught him
in their arms, pushed him into the house, secreted him under
a bench of poles that ran around the side of the house, and
placed blankets in front which concealed him from view,
then calmly resumed their station at the window. The
panting fugitive had scarcely had time to reflect that the
action of the squaws indicated a desire on their part to be-
friend him, when he heard footsteps approach and excited
voices at the door, some reply in the native tongue from the
elder woman and footsteps receding, apparently in an oppo-
site direction from that from which they came. Hardly had
these sounds ceased when the squaw drew the covering aside
and called the boy forth. He rolled out of his close quarters
and stood before them ready to obey their commands. The
women placed themselves in front of him, drew their blank-
ets around all three in such a manner as to conceal him from
observation and stepped out of the door.
Jones was so confounded by the rapidity of events that
he felt impelled to place confidence in his strange friends,
and closely followed their hurried lead, he knew not whither.
He could hear the soft pat of their moccasined feet upon the
hard ground, the rustle of branches as they passed through
obstructing brush, the murmur of voices and the tramp of
men about him; he could feel the sway of his guides as they
pushed through a crowd of people, and he fancied the beat-
ing of his heart would betray him. Then he felt an inclina-
tion to throw off the sheltering folds that held him in dark-
ness and face death openly.
Suddenly the grip upon his arms tightened, he was jerked
forward, then stopped so sharply that but for the restraining
hands of the women he would have fallen. The blankets
dropped to the ground. Horatio perceived he was in a large
room, filled with Indians who surrounded some of his fel-
low captives covered with blood from numerous wounds.
Instinct told him that he was in “the long house” and the
perils of the gauntlet were ended.412
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
The women who had rescued him could not speak Eng-
lish, but their intelligent faces bore expressions of proud
satisfaction as they resumed their blankets and walked away
leaving the boy with his white friends. He soon learned
that the latter were in a pitiable plight, and that of all who
braved the mob he alone had escaped without serious bruises.
A guard was soon stationed at the door of the long house,
which was made to serve as a prison. Food was given the
prisoners and they were allowed to seek such rest as their
wretched condition would permit.
A quantity of liquor having been brought from Niagara,
it was decided to celebrate the return by a general carousal.
As night approached great fires were kindled in the open
space in front of the long house, and here the Indians gath-
ered in crowds. Liquor was supplied to all, and the men
giving themselves up to the excitement of the occasion,
freely indulged their appetites. The more prudent women
remained sober and as soon as possible removed and se-
creted all the weapons they could secure. As the shades of
evening deepened to the darkness of night the imprisoned
whites could hear the sounds of revelry increasing to an up-
roar that awoke their gravest anxiety and filled their minds
with dismal forebodings. All too soon their fears were
realized, for the drunken frenzy of the Indians reached a
point beyond the control of the sober women and guards,
and despite their protests the warriors broke down the door
of the long house and rushed into the building. Among the
foremost was the Wolf, with Johnson’s scalp at his belt.
Horatio recognized the brute and took solemn oath that if
the opportunity ever occurred he would avenge the murder
of his soldier friend. Without molesting others the savages
seized McDonald and dragged him forth as an object of
their cruel sport. From insults and cuffs the drunken riot-
ers proceeded to greater violence. Sharp Shins finally toma-
hawked the unfortunate soldier, chopped off his head, thrust
a spear into the skull and stood it up as an object of con-
tumely. All the ferocity of their natures was now aroused,
and the savages danced around the gory head shrieking like
demons. Even the guards became attracted to the demon-THE LIFE OF HORATIO I ONES.
413
strations around the fire and followed the mob from the
door of the prison. In the darkness, near at hand, stood a
little group of women. As the guards left the door, the
women glided around the corner into the house that was
dimly lighted by the fires without. The prisoners were hud-
dled together, full of forebodings. As the women sud-
denly entered with fingers placed over their mouths to de-
note silence, Jones recognized the two who had saved his
life. Seizing the hands of the captives the squaws led them
out of the doorway, around the corner of the building into
the darkness. Without pausing at all they hurried through
the bushes leading the white men to places of safety.
After dancing about the head of McDonald and offering
it every indignity they could invent the crazy warriors again
rushed to the long house bent on the destruction of the re-
maining prisoners. Finding them gone they awoke the
echoes of the hills with howls of disappointment. Frantic,
and thirsting for more blood, they quarreled among them-
selves. The liquor they had imbibed in unrestricted quan-
tities soon overcame them, and one by one the maudlin
wretches dropped to the earth in drunken stupor. Later the
fires died away fitfully, and only an occasional yell from
some half-awakened reveler reached the ears of the con-
cealed captives.
On the following day, when the Indians had recovered
their senses, the women restored the weapons and prisoners.
They later convened in council, and few would have recog-
nized the members of the drunken mob in the stately chiefs
and grave warriors, who assembled calmly to determine the
fate of the white captives. The prisoners understood little
of the discussion but its purport was related to' Jones at a
later date. According to their custom the warriors sat upon
the ground in a circle with the captives in front and men,
women and children huddled about the outer circle. As
each warrior took his place he lighted a pipe and continued
to smoke during the session, save when speaking.
When all who desired had spoken Hudson arose. He
said it seemed to be the general sentiment that enough white
men had been slain to atone for the blood of the Indians414
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
killed; it now remained for the council to decide upon the
disposition of the survivors. Do-eh-saw, or Jack Berry, as
he was called, knocked the ashes from his pipe and stood up.
He said he spoke for the Indian mother who had sent by him
a belt of wampum. He recounted his connection with the
battle on the Juniata and the capture by himself and Hah-
ney-wee* of the young prisoner. Berry narrated the sub-
sequent events of the homeward march, the race with Sharp
Shins, the incidents of the gauntlet, his rescue by the woman
who sent the wampum, his entry into the long house, his
removal, which prevented further bloodshed, and his return
to the custody of the warriors. Neither he nor Ha-neh-wee-
sah made any claim to the boy. The singular circumstances
that had combined to bring him to the sorrowing mother
convinced her that Ha-wen-ne-ya, the “Great Spirit,” had
sent the lad to replace her dead son, and she now claimed
the young captive, whom she intended to adopt. While the
members of the war-party were acquainted with these facts
the greater number of- Indians knew nothing of the particu-
lars of the affair.
The story of the sturdy chief moved their superstitious
natures, and a profound silence prevailed in the long house.
At length Shongo stood erect and the audience waited upon
his words. He said that his ears had been open to receive
this story. He believed the Great Spirit watched over his
Indian children and planned wisely for them. No one could
listen to what had occurred without feeling that Ha-wen-ne-
ya had sent this handsome boy to the Seneca nation for a
good purpose. Some misfortune would surely fall upon the
people if they failed to carry out the design of the Great
Spirit. The lad should remain and become one of them-
selves, and the future would reveal why he had been sent to
the red men of the Genesee. It was so decided, when the
assemblage clapped their hands and cried, “Ya-ho, Ya-ho!”
in approval.
It was decided to take the other prisoners to Niagara and
* English name, Blue Eyes. He was cousin of the woman who adopted
Jones. He later became a chief of distinction and in his old age resided at Red
House on the Alleghany.THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
415
deliver them to the British fathers. When ready Nelles
took the men to the fort and turned them over to the com-
mander. The Oneida woman, who interposed for Boyd at
the mouth of Sinnemahoning Creek, and who had assisted
in his rescue from the long house, accompanied him to Ni-
agara. When Boyd was sent to Quebec with other prison-
ers, she nursed him on the voyage and did not leave him un-
til he was placed in a hospital. When convalescent the hos-
pital authorities turned him into the street without money
or acquaintances, but as he walked along, he saw a sign-
board bearing the legend, “Masonic Inn.” Boyd entered,
gave the sign to the landlord, and was received and cared
for till he was exchanged. The Indian woman, in due time,
returned to Oneida, where Capt. (afterwards Colonel)
Boyd often sent her presents and on one occasion visited her
there in person. Lieut. Cook was also exchanged at Que-
bec.*
IV. The Adoption—Life among the Senecas.
The founders of the League of the Iroquois adopted a
scheme of tribal relationship by which the people of each
nation were separated into divisions or clans. The Mo-
hawks say that in the beginning there were but three clans,
wolf, bear and turtle; that the Oneidas have only those
three and the same ones exist in each nation. Hale says
that the Onondagas have in addition the deer, eel, beaver,
ball and snipe. The Cayugas substitute the hawk and heron
for the ball and eel; the Tuscaroras divide the wolf clan
into gray and yellow wolf and the turtle clan into great and
little turtle.
According to ancient custom a person adopted into an
Iroquois family to replace one dead, was supposed to as-
sume the personality of the deceased and the station and
property of the predecessor. The rites of adoption severed
all former ties and the person was thereafter a blood de-
* Boyd died in Northumberland in 1833. Cook died in 1822, aged 76 years.
Horatio Jones and his companions ran the gauntlet at what is now Fort Hill farm,
near Caneadea.416
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
scendant of the woman who occupied the place of mother,
and a relative of every Iroquois of that clan. No person
could marry in his or her clan but the children were classed
with the clan of the mother.
Horatio's Indian mother was born at Gan-no-wan-gus,
near present Avon, about 1744. She was a blood sister of
Guy-an-gwa-ta or Cornplanter, who was the half-breed son
of a Dutch trader named Abeel. Cornplanter, by his ex-
ploits and force of character became a war chief and even-
tually the most influential man of his time in the Seneca na-
tion. When Horatio fell into Seneca hands Cornplanter's
fame was in the ascendency and his family one of the most
prominent on the Genesee River. Although the Indian
father held no title he was brave and skilled in the capture
of game. He was called Hah-do-wes-go-wah, or “the
Great Hunter." He did not object to the adoption, but
seemed an indifferent spectator. The Iroquois seldom recog-
nized a white person by his proper name. They gave a new
captive some descriptive title which was liable to be changed
from time to time. A change, however, required public an-
nouncement at some general assembly. In accordance with
Indian custom the ceremony of adoption included the con-
ferring of the name by which the person was to be desig-
nated by his Indian associates. Horatio had been spoken
of as “The handsome boy"* from his capture and “Hocsa-
gowah"t was a term so fitting that it was adopted by the
clan. When the war song had been sung and his name
proclaimed, Horatio was in their eyes no longer a white
person, but a full-blooded Seneca of the hawk clan, like his
mother.
When the strange ceremony ended the Indians pressed
forward with greetings. Then Horatio's mother and sister
proudly led him through groups of curious natives along the
path in the bushes through which he had thrice passed in
deadly peril, to the house in which he had so unexpectedly
* In 1831 Tom Cayuga’s wife, Judy, the oldest squaw then at Squawkie Hill,
told Benj. F. Angel that Jones was the handsomest person, white or red, that
the Indians had ever seen.
t Given by John Jimeson as “Hocsahdeyoh.”THE LIFE OF HORATIO I ONES.
417
found shelter and friends. Entering, the mother led him up
to a fine-looking Indian, who greeted him with “Soh-ne-ho?”
(“Who is it?”) “Hehs-ha-wuk, Hocsagowah,” (“Your son,
Handsome Boy”), she replied and to Horatio she said, “Yuh-
neh” (“Your father”). He required no introduction to his
sister, but two bright, sturdy young lads came shyly for-
ward to greet him. They all made him welcome in a man-
ner that could not have expressed more affection if the dead
Toandoqua had returned to assume his natural place in the
household. Others came and were introduced as relatives.
Food was set before him and as he satisfied his hunger
he turned his curious gaze from the members of the house-
hold to such detail of his surroundings as he could inspect.
The dwelling stood in a small clearing. It was like most of
the houses occupied by the Senecas in their permanent
towns. The sides and ends were of logs, rudely laid up,
with the crevices stuffed with sticks and clay. It was about
ten by twelve feet; the door, loosely hung on wooden
hinges, in one end; the roof formed of sheets of bark over-
lapping each other like long shingles and secured by poles
laid on the outside fastened at each gable end. A square
opening in one end of the house served as a window in the
daytime; it was closed with a sheet of bark at night. The
interior was as rude as the outside. The floor was the hard-
packed earth. Two benches or shelves of poles, one about
two feet above the floor, the other near the eaves, ran along
the sides of the house, serving as seats in the daytime and
beds at night. A rough shelf at one end held a small brass
kettle, a few bark trays and several short square-edge
wooden spoons. Pegs in the front wall supported a rifle
and its equipments, a tomahawk and other articles, the prop-
erty of the husband. In one corner, near the door, stood an
ax, a hollow block of wood and a pestle for pounding corn,
the implements of the wife. The fire occupied the center of
the floor, the smoke supposed to find its way upward and
out through an opening in the roof. On occasions, as
Horatio soon learned, it settled in stifling clouds in every
part of the room. Crotched sticks at each side of the fire-
place supported a cross pole from which kettles and roasting418
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
meat were hung. Three or four smooth flat stones, fre-
quently used in baking, were half hidden in the bed of ashes.
Had the place been far more forbidding in aspect, the sense
of security and comfort would have rendered it a welcome
haven to the weary boy. When he was thoroughly re-
freshed the mother tried to make him comprehend that as
one of her children he was entitled to certain rights and
privileges and the use of certain things. Also that he must
respect tile rights of other members of the family regarding
their individual places and property in the house. He used
every endeavor to adapt himself to his altered circumstances.
Berry continued with the war-party to Niagara and on
his return to the Genesee went to his home at Little Beard’s
Town, leaving Jones among those who spoke only the na-
tive dialects. By continual application he rapidly advanced
in a knowledge of the Seneca tongue and from the date of
his adoption experienced little difficulty in communicating
with his native associates. Closely observing the customs
of the Senecas he learned that the men provided game,
traded furs for clothing, arms and such other necessities as
they could procure for barter with traders or at the fort,
built canoes, debated in council and followed the pursuit of
war. The women seldom interfered with the men in their
particular business and no Seneca woman ever walked be-
fore her husband—such an offense would have been un-
pardonable. If a man killed a large animal while hunting he
usually cut out sufficient for a meal, secured the rest from
wild beasts, returned home and directed the women of his
family to bring in the carcass. The women cured the meat,
dressed the skins, made the clothing, belts, moccasins, bead
work, collected wood, brought water, planted, hoed and har-
vested the crops, pounded corn into meal and prepared the
food. While the care and correction of the children were
left to the mother, the word of the father was law for all un-
der his roof. The rule of parents was generally mild, and
children were usually obedient and respectful, making their
homes with and subject to their commands until marriage.
Horatio found the Indian domicile a remarkable contrast
to the quiet home on the Juniata where the proverbial neat-THE LIFE OF HORATIO I ONES.	419
ness of the Quaker sect was exemplified. If his stomach
sometimes rebelled at the domestic habits of his Indian
mother, occasional scant fare furnished a keen appetite. To
his own surprise he soon overcame these scruples regarding
the untidy habits of those about him and learned to enjoy
many things that under earlier conditions would have proved
distasteful. To replace his worn clothing he adopted the
full Indian dress. There were no underclothes. A stout
belt was fastened about the body next to the skin. The
waist-cloth, a strip of cloth or soft deer skin five or six feet
long and from ten to sixteen inches wide, was passed be-
tween the legs and drawn under the belt, the ends usually
highly ornamented and fringed, hanging loose before and
behind. The legs were covered with leggins reaching the
upper part of the thighs and secured to the belt by thongs of
deers’ hide. The frock or shirt was gathered about the waist
by a second belt. The frock and leggins were trimmed with
fringe; the feet encased in moccasins and the head covered
with a cap made of skins or a piece of colored cloth wound
round in form of a turban. Some of the men in place of a
frock belted about the waist wore a blanket that was drawn
up over the head like a hood. This blanket was used as a
coat in the daytime and for a bed at night. The older In-
dians oftenest wore the blanket.
Horatio soon learned there was no law but personal
might in an Indian community; he had the discernment to
understand that by maintaining a fearless demeanor he
would suffer fewer hardships and gain greater respect than
by any attempt to conciliate those who chose to override
his personal rights. He conducted himself consistently, al-
ways spoke the truth, endured physical discomfort without
complaint, was foremost where his services were required
or permitted, and was even-tempered and agreeable to all
about him; but under no circumstances would he submit to
insult from warrior or chief. Possessing a natural gift of
speech, he soon not only mastered the Seneca tongue, but
also acquired the accentuation so difficult for beginners,
upon which the meaning of many Indian words depends.
He was soon called upon to act as interpreter in examining420
THE LIFE OF HQ RATIO JONES.
white prisoners brought into town and it became his recog-
nized duty to question all the captives regarding such things
as the red men wished to know. If a captive was found to
have taken the life of an Indian in cold blood or in any
manner save in battle he was condemned to torture. The
position of interpreter was thus particularly responsible.
To so question prisoners that he would retain the confidence
of the red men and yet conceal from them that which would
injure those who were questioned, required no little tact and
courage.* Jones proved equal to such emergencies and
sought opportunities to aid his fellow captives. He was soon
referred to by the Indians as “Hi-e-wah-doo-gis-tah,” or
“The Interpreter.”
Entering into Indian games and sports with the zest of
youth, Horatio won the admiration of the village by his
personal prowess. He had a passion for fishing and hunt-
ing, hence won success in the capture of game. His father
gave him a gun and ammunition. His skill as a marksman
was marveled at and no one ever affronted him when his
favorite weapon, the rifle, was at hand.
It had been the custom of Sir William Johnson to send
blacksmiths among the Six Nations to repair their firearms,
but this favor was discontinued at the opening of the war.
Supt. Guy Johnson attempted to accommodate the Iroquois
by doing their work at Niagara. This was a serious incon-
venience to journey eighty miles by trail or rather double
that distance going and returning to have the work per-
formed by the British armorer at the fort. Horatio made
some repairs to his own equipments and this led to work of
the same nature for others. Delighting in this mechanical
work he set up a rude forge and from crude materials
wrought out tools so that he repaired arms of the warriors.
Then they called him “Hi-u-do-nis,” “The Gunsmith.”
Whenever they obtained a tool or crude material they took it
to him. Worn-out axes of iron and horseshoes were worked
in his fire and on his stone anvil into hoes, spears and knife
blades; horseshoe nails were transformed into drills, awls,
primers and wormers. The remains of old brass kettles fur-
S. H. Gridley, D. D., Collections, Waterloo Historical Society.THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
421
nished the ingenious captive with material for bands and or-
naments on tomahawk handles and gun stocks, and then
they called him “Ha-wes-do-ne,” or “Blacksmith,” The
women termed him “Haw-wes-ta-no-she-o-ne,” “The Silver-
smith.” Silver coins he converted into rings for fingers and
ears or hammered them into sheets from which he fashioned
brooches and buttons. Bits of brass and thin strips of bone
made an excellent comb. The horns of deer he made into
knives, whips and awls, fish spears, hair pins and small boxes
for holding paint. Mouthpieces for pipes were made of the
same material, while a broken powderhorn, under his deft
fingers, made a useful spoon. These labors were fully ap-
preciated and the Indians assured him his services were of
greater value to them than the combined work of all their
other captives. Of course these experiences covered several
months’ residence among the Senecas during which time
Jones had many and varied experiences.
Hah-do-wes-go-wah made his permanent residence in the
house in which Horatio first found refuge, but he made fre-
quent excursions for game or to different places to visit
friends. The family were proud of their new son and
brother and the mother took great pleasure in introducing
him to her acquaintances.
V. The Meeting with Jasper Parrish.
As soon as Ploratio could make himself understood in
Seneca the family prepared for a trip down the river. They
selected such light articles as they needed, leaving every-
thing else in the house. Hah-do-wes-go-wah had neither
lock or bolt upon his door. When the family was ready to
depart a few sheets of bark were laid over the smoke vent
in the roof, and the wife set a broom outside the door with
the handle fastened against the board in such a manner as
not to be easily displaced by wind or storm. This was to
indicate that the owners were absent; the hunter left his
home confident of finding it undisturbed on his return.
Proceeding down the river trail carrying their simple422
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
baggage upon their backs, the party halted for a few days’
visit at Little Beard’s Town. Considerable attention was
given the new Indian boy by his clan relatives residing there,
and among other matters they related to him events con-
nected with Sullivan’s invasion. Jones knew that Lieutenant
Thomas Boyd was a brother of his own company com-
mander, and that incited an interest in the details of his
capture. Nearly all the male inhabitants of Little Beard’s
Town had participated in the thrilling scenes and several
of Horatio’s new acquaintances had personally engaged in
the torture of Boyd and Parker. These rehearsed for his
entertainment the events leading to the death of the two
prisoners, and escorted Horatio to the old town on the flat,
and at the junction of two small streams they pointed out the
exact spot of the execution. They described how Boyd’s
intestines were fastened to a tree and the unfortunate of-
ficer driven and dragged about its trunk until his entrails
were drawn from his body. Approaching the tree closely
Horatio found numerous marks made with tomahawks upon
the sides of the small oak and discovered clinging to the
bark particles of dried flesh that the Indians assured him
had remained there since the death of Boyd. Not a single
native would touch the tree as the superstitious creatures
imagined bad luck would follow any contact with the flesh
and that the spirits of the dead soldiers would haunt the of-
fenders. -
Soon after, having been left alone, he was startled by a
cry of “Hi, you!” in plain English. Turning Jones saw a
man leaning upon his rifle. The stranger was clothed in
Indian dress, but it was easy to see that he was a white man.
There was a quizzical look upon his face and Horatio good-
naturedly* answered him, “Hi, yourself!”
“Berry told me,” said the stranger, “that he had brought
a handsome boy to the Genesee, and he was tolerably correct,
judging from your looks.”
“I wish I could say the same of you,” Jones replied,
laughing, “but I don’t think your dress adds to your na-
tural beauty.” The two laughed and shook hands cordially.
The stranger said his name was Joseph Smith, that he wasTHE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
423
captured at Cherry Valley, and was now living with an In-
dian family at Little Beards Town. Soon observing that
they were watched by the Indians, Jones and Smith went
each his way. Thus began the friendship between these two
men of which wTe shall hear more later on.
In consequence of their improvident habits the Indians
frequently lacked food. During the absence of the Juniata
war-party, corn, their principal article of diet, was ex-
hausted at the upper Genesee village, and many of the In-
dians were compelled to resort to wild roots and herbage
to preserve their lives. An appeal for assistance was made
to the commandant of Fort Niagara, who sent an officer to
ascertain the condition of affairs in the Seneca towns. Upon
his recommendation a generous supply of food was for-
warded to the needy people, just prior to the return of the
expedition; hence, when Capt. Boyd and his fellow-prison-
ers arrived on the Genesee, the Indians were well supplied
with provisions. It was the custom of the Genesee Indians
when game was scarce to go to Lake Erie to catch a kind
of fish which they called skis-tu-wa, now supposed to have
been mullets. These were opened and dried in smoke, large
quantities often being carried to the home towns. The Ni-
agara River was also a noted resort, and parties of Indians
were almost constantly fishing there, at favorite points.
Some time during the summer of 1781, a party from the
Genesee, including the family to which Horatio belonged,
went on a fishing excursion to the Niagara. Working their
way down the stream they encamped near the Devil’s Hole,
a great depression in the east bank of the river, three miles
below Niagara Falls. Standing on its brink one can look
down upon the tops of tall forest trees growing in the bot-
tom of the pit, which covers an area of several acres. Near
the top the sides are precipitous, but further down huge
moss-covered rocks are strewn about as though tossed to
their positions, by a convulsion of nature, presenting so wild
an appearance that the beholder recognizes the appropriate-
ness of the name to the place. The Seneca name was Dy-os-
da-ny-ah-goh (“It has cleft the rocks off”).* Horatio was
* O. H. Marshall’s Historical Writings.424
THE LIFE OF HORATIO I ONES.
informed of the massacre of 1763 at that point, and showed
so keen an interest that his Indian friends took pride in
calling his attention to objects and locations with which the
memorable events were connected. A chief whose ancestors
had been dispossessed of the Niagara country by the Iro-
quois, but who was reckoned a Seneca had been one of the
leaders of this attack upon the English. In the fitful light
of their camp-fire, located in view of the Devil's Hole he re-
hearsed the episode and in the morning went over his battle-
ground of eighteen years before. Curiosity led some of the
party into the deep gulf. At the bottom they found bits of
the wagons, skulls and scattered bones, mementoes of the
awful tragedy. Climbing up the rocks on the northern side
they came to an opening in the escarpment in the bottom of
which a tiny stream of water trickled forth. The guides
crawled into the aperture and Horatio followed. Once ac-
customed to the dim light of the interior he beheld a chamber
large enough to hold several people. He was glad to learn
of this cavern and carefully noted its location in case he
should ever need a safe retreat in that locality.
While the fishing party camped near the Devil's Hole,
Jones asked permission to go to Fort Niagara and as there
was little danger of his escaping the vigilance of so many
people his request was granted. He had arrived within half
a mile of the fort when he came upon three boys, two of
whom were dressed in the scarlet uniforms of British drum-
mers and were evidently out on leave. The other boy
seemed, from his dress and general appearance, to be an
Indian twelve or thirteen years old. The two red-coats were
forcing a quarrel with the smaller boy, who was1 on the de-
fensive with a determined air that held his adversaries in
check; it was apparent however that force of numbers
would decide the contest if the boys came to blows. Horatio
believed in fair play and noting the state of affairs stepped
up to the trio and inquired in Seneca, “Ah-ne-yo-dyah ?"
(“What is going on?") The lads turned to look at the new-
comer and the Indian replied in Mohawk, “These two boys
want to whip me."
“Can you whip one?"THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
425
“Yes.”
“Then you whip one and I will whip the other.”
“All right,” he cried, and before the astonished drum-
mers realized the nature of the conversation, the young In-
dians attacked them with vigor and soon punished them so
severely that they beat a retreat towards the garrison, leav-
ing the natives, so to speak, masters of the fields. Horatio
could not restrain the impulse to shout:
“Run, you red-coated devils! Run like the cowards you
are; the next time you try to whip a boy get a man to help
you.”
The Indian boy turned and gazed upon his generous
champion, his eyes sparkling with delight. “You talk Eng-
lish ?” he inquired.
“Certainly,” replied Horatio promptly. “I am a Penn-
sylvania prisoner.”
“Why, I believe you are a white boy also,” the other ex-
claimed, viewing his new acquaintance critically. “Yes, I
am,” replied the lad, “and I cannot tell you how glad I am to
meet a white friend.” As the boys went on together to the
fort they told their circumstances in mutual confidence.
The lad told Jones that his name was Jasper Parrish. He
was born in Connecticut in 1767. His father soon after
went across the head waters of the Delaware and settled in
New York. On the 5th of July, 1778, he accompanied his
father and brother Stephen to assist a neighbor who lived in
an exposed situation to remove nearer the settlement. When
about six miles from home they were all captured, together
with a man named James Pemberton, by a party of Munsee
or Delaware Indians under a war-chief called Capt. Mounsh.
The prisoners were conducted up the Delaware River to a
camp called Cook House, near the mouth of Oquago Creek.*
Two days later Mr. Parrish with others was separated from
his son. Capt. Mounsh claimed Jasper as his prisoner and
during the association of the two treated the white boy with
* Cook House was near Deposit, N. Y. These facts as narrated by Horatio
Jones and given by descendants of the latter, have been verified by a MS. pre-
pared by Stephen Parrish, son of Jasper, and loaned by the latter’s grand-
daughter, Mrs. Carrie Cobb Draper, to the late Hon. Orlando Allen, who read
the account before the Buffalo Historical Society.426	THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
kindness. Jasper remained at Cook House until the ist of
October, when Capt. Mounsh and his party, with all his
prisoners, continued their journey to Chemung. On enter-
ing the village the Indians there gave a war-cry and ran out
to meet them. They pulled Jasper off his. horse and
pounded him unmercifully with tomahawk handles and
whips, until Capt. Mounsh interfered and rescued him. In
the late fall Mounsh sold Jasper to a Delaware family, living
near the village, on the south .side of Tioga River. He was
at once taken to his new home. During the winter he suf-
fered greatly from lack of food and clothing. To harden
him to cold the Indians compelled him to strip, each day of
winter, and jump into the river through a hole cut in the
ice; but in this and other respects he was treated as one of
themselves by the Delawares. The family hunted and fished
until the last of August, 1779; when General Sullivan's
army approached, Jasper fled with the savages to Newtown,
and was left with the squaws, other prisoners, and baggage,
in a secure place. After the battle he continued with them
up the river to Painted Post, where the warriors overtook
the women the following day. They continued their flight
by way of what are now Bath, Dansville, Fall Brook, Mos-
cow and Tonawanda, making but brief stops until they
reached Niagara, where nearly all the Iroquois were en-
camped on the plains near the fort. A few days later Jasper
met James Pemberton, who had been captured with himself.
Pemberton told Jasper that he and his fellow-prisoners
were brought to the Niagara River, where his captors
camped on the flat under the mountain (now Lewiston).
There the warriors decided to torture Pemberton, whose
sturdy frame gave promise of great endurance. Joseph
Brant, who was in command of the party, tried to persuade
the band to give up their purpose. To this they would not
consent, and setting up a green stake on the bluff overlook-
ing the river, set Pemberton to work to collect wood for his
own funeral pyre. Brant was displeased and secretly ap-
pealed to the women, telling them if they would effect his
escape one of them should have this fine-looking man for
her husband. While Pemberton was gathering brush nearTHE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
427
a little runway the squaws hurried him out of sight. They
took him to the fort where he was protected by Col. Butler
who gave him work. Pemberton told Jasper that his father
and brother had been sent to Montreal to be exchanged, but
that he himself preferred to remain with the Indians.*
Jasper said that the Indians became so troublesome at Ni-
agara, that, to get rid of them, the British authorities of-
fered a guinea for each Yankee scalp brought in. This re-
ward led to an adventure that Jasper related to rioratio as
the boys walked slowly towards the fort.
“The Delaware family I was with stayed here until late
in the fall (1779). One day the Indians got to drinking
and I was left with two warriors who were quite drunk.
Being cold I gathered wood and kept up a good fire. The
Indians sat on one side of the fire and I on the other. They
began to talk, saying they would like more rum, and that
it would be an easy matter to kill the young Yankee and get
the bounty with which to buy it. I understood their con-
versation and watched them closely. After a-little one of
them plucked a long brand out of the fire and hurled it at
me with all his might. I dodged the stick, sprang up and
ran into the bushes- where the Indians attempted to follow,
but being drunk and the night dark they could not catch me.
I kept away from the fire all night, but when they had be-
come sober the next day I returned to camp.
“One day my Delaware master took me into the fort and
tried to sell me to the white people there, but none of them
would buy. Finally we met a large, fine-looking Mohawk
named Capt. Daniel Hill, who bought me of the Delaware
for twenty dollars. Capt. Hill took me to his tent and said
to me in English:	‘This is your home, and you must stay
here/ I had been very well treated by the Delawares, had
learned their language and did not like the idea of changing
masters. However the change has proved a very happy one
in many respects.
“In November the Six Nations held a great council in the
* Pemberton remained at Niagara until released in 1783. He then joined
the Tuscaroras and married the mother of John Mountpleasant. His numerous
descendants are among the most respected Tuscarora families of the present day.428
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
fort. Capt. Hill took me in to the assemblage and I thought
he was going to sell me to some other nation, but instead
of that he put a belt of wampum about my neck, and a very
old chief took me by the hand and made a speech. I did
not understand what was said as the Mohawk language is
so very different from the Delaware; the whole affair was
conducted in a very solemn manner. After the speech all
the chiefs came and shook hands with me and Capt. Hill
told me he had adopted me as his son; that I must return
to his tent, which was now my own home.
“We remained at the fort till the next May when all the
Mohawks there moved up under the mountain about two
miles east of the river; that is now our home. I have been
treated very kindly by Capt. Hill and his family and the
other Mohawks. I have hunted and fished with them, been
with a war-party to the settlements and visited many of the
Six Nations’ towns.”
The boys spent the day together at the fort. A warm
friendship sprang up between them and their frequent meet-
ings thereafter were among the most pleasant events of
their forest lives.
VI. Flight and Return—An Encounter.
The white captives in the Genesee towns had little oppoi-
tunity for intercourse with each other. While apparently
free to come and go they were each and all under surveil-
lance and any attempt to pass certain limits was checked in
a manner unpleasantly suggestive of fatal results in a serious
attempt to escape.
Horatio so thoroughly ingratiated himself in the affec-
tions of the family and so vigorously resented interference
with his personal rights that he was permitted many priv-
ileges denied to captives of less independence of spirit.
There was much in the life he led in the wilderness that was
congenial and to all outward appearances he was satisfied
with the change in his condition; yet under his careless
manner he, at times, carried a troubled heart. Visions ofTHE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
429
the home on the Juniata, of parents and friends would in-
trude to disturb his slumbers and he secretly pined for home
and civilization. He had little confidence in his ability to
find his way back to Bedford County and he availed himself
of the first opportunity to enlist in an expedition against
the frontier settlers, thinking he might find an opportunity,
when near settlements, to escape. His offer was rejected on
the plea that his services were greatly needed at home to
mend the guns and examine prisoners. At length he re-
solved to escape. Putting his weapons in order and securing
a supply of ammunition and a little food, early one morning
he left the camp. His departure was unobserved and his
absence not noted until some hours later when his assist-
ance was required in some small matter. As no one could
tell where he was suspicions were aroused and the Indians
at once concluded that Hoc-sa-go-wah “walk bushes” to es-
cape. An alarm was spread and men scattered in all direc-
tions to discover traces of the fugitive. Thanks to his skill
in woodcraft he covered his trail so perfectly that the ex-
perienced hunters found no sign. They scoured the forest
paths for miles and sent their fleetest runners upon distant
trails. Knowing this would be the course Jones sought the
frontier of Pennsylvania by a route that would avoid In-
dian paths yet be sufficiently direct to reach his destination
in the briefest possible time. The extra caution he was
forced to exercise rendered his progress slow and laborious.
He had been alone in the wilderness many hours, when he
discovered a sheltered place in a ravine where he could spend
the night. Reconnoitering the surroundings and deciding
the best course of retreat in case of an attack, he carefully
effaced every trace of his trail and stretched his weary limbs
for a night’s repose upon a bed of soft leaves. He consid-
ered himself beyond all danger of pursuit and feared only a
chance encounter with straggling hunters. Musing upon
his situation the fugitive’s thoughts ran to his boyhood’s
home. He wondered if he would find his friends as he left
them, if his father and mother were still living; what
changes might have occurred during his absence. Then his
thoughts turned to himself. He had left home a fair-corn-430
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
plexioned boy; now every exposed part of his person was
bronzed by sun and wind to a shade not very unlike the
natural color of the Indians, and in outward appearance he
was an uncouth native of the wilderness. He wondered if
his friends would recognize and welcome him or would re-
gard him with surprise and indifference. His relatives had
doubtless given him up as dead, and though he had been
absent so short a time it would seem like beginning a new
life to reenter the settlement. Then he thought of the
wretched captives whom the savages were constantly bring-
ing to the Genesee, and how he had already been able to
mitigate the sufferings and preserve the lives of several
persons. It seemed as though the event of his capture was
truly providential, and that he had been sent there for some
special purpose. If he were to effect his escape would it
not be like deserting a post of duty? Who would take his
place as interpreter and befriend prisoners? Would it not
be better to forego his own desires, return to the Indian town
and continue in . his increasing influence in behalf of cap-
tives ? All the long hours of that dismal night his mind was
active with conflicting thoughts and when morning came he
decided to return to his Indian home. With this resolution
he realized that to carry it into effect he must risk the danger
of recapture and the horrors of certain torture, the usual
fate of deserters. He felt sure if he could enter the village
undetected he would not have to suffer severe punishment.
On his return he used the same skill in forest strategem that
accomplished his escape. Before his presence in the Indian
town was known he entered his father's house, quietly laid
aside his equipments, to all outward appearances uncon-
scious of anything unusual or strange in his actions. The
warm welcome that followed his entrance dissipated every
doubt of the affection of the family and the wisdom of his
return. No explanation of his absence was required, it be-
ing tacitly conceded that he had missed his course while
hunting and was too proud to speak of the mistake. He
received cautions and instructions for future guidance and
thereafter the Indians were less vigilant in guarding him;
but he never revealed to them his attempt to escape.THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
431
For a distance of sixteen miles below what is now Port-
age, as the channel runs, the Genesee River occupies the
bottom of a deep gorge, the rocky walls of which rise in
places nearly 500 feet above the water. In the town of Mt.
Morris the stream suddenly breaks through the side of
the mountain and thereafter winds in great curves through
vast prairies or flats that extend to the city of Rochester
nearly forty miles distant in air line. This opening in the
side of the valley is a striking feature of the landscape; the
Senecas called the spot “Da-yo-it-ga-o,” “Where the river
issues from the hill.”* The west bank is broken by a pla-
teau, 200 feet perhaps above the stream, from which a fine
view may be obtained of a long and magnificent stretch of
landscape. All about the student of aboriginal history dis-
covers evidences of a pre-historic people who dwelt there
before the Iroquois conquest; prior to the date of Sulli-
van's campaign, no Seneca village had been located upon the
heights.
The Squ-agh-kie Indians, who figured as a separate na-
tion in Colonel Butler's Niagara treaty in 1776, had been
captured some years previous to that time, by the Iroquois,
adopted and attached to the Seneca nation. According to
Iroquois custom when a large body of prisoners was taken,
the Squ-agh-kies, or Squakies, were established in a sep-
arate village, a few miles south of the principal town of the
Senecas. They resided at Gath-se-o-wa-lo-ha-re in 1779,
which village was destroyed by Sullivan. When Guy John-
son in the early spring of 1780 dispersed the Iroquois to new
homes the Squakies were assigned a seat on the west side of
the Genesee at Da-yo-it-ga-o on the trail between De-o-num-
da-gao and the up-river towns. The village bore a distinc-
tive title but was generally termed Squakie Hill.
On the plateau previously described, overlooking the
Genesee and Caneseraga valleys, was a level open space of
about two acres, supposed to have been a clearing made by a
prehistoric people, where the Iroquois of the Genesee held
their annual feasts and dances. After the annual crop of
beans, corn and squashes was harvested, the inhabitants of
* Squakie Hill.432
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
the Seneca villages assembled there for a grand harvest fes-
tival. Hundreds of men, women and children camped in the
vicinity; on the days of the feasts great fires were made,
and huge kettles of succotash and squashes were cooked and
distributed to the multitude. Horatio was much interested
in the ceremonies on the occasion of his first visit to Squakie
Hill and heartily enjoyed the novelty as well as the unusual
supply of nourishing food.
Since the day of his adoption Horatio had had little in-
tercourse with Sharp Shins. The famous hunter resided at
Squakie Hill and on this occasion took part in the festivites.
Jones soon discovered that an evil influence was at work
against himself for some of the young braves began petty
persecutions that he disdained to notice; so they determined
to humiliate the handsome boy who seemed so unconscious
of their efforts to awaken his resentment. One day several
young persons were seated near a fire engaged in light talk
as they received liberal portions of succotash which the
women were dispensing. Presently a clique of young braves
began to banter Jones who had then pretty thoroughly mas-
tered the Seneca tongue. He met the raillery with such good-
humored replies that he turned the laugh upon the assailants.
Numbers began to gather about the fire listening to the
badinage, when it became evident that the braves were en-
deavoring to force a quarrel. Jones felt sure of this when he
saw Sharp Shins join the circle and heard the shrill laugh of
the runner at each sally of the aggressive party and he quietly
determined upon a plan of action. Finding that the white boy
was too keen in repartee for their dull wit the braves began
abuse, and oneL fellow attempted to anger Horatio by an
open insult. The words hardly escaped the lips of the bully
when Jones seized the offender by the collar of his deerskin
frock and with a jerk brought him upon his knees in front
of the fire. Pushing the fellow’s head between his own
knees Horatio held him as in a vice, tore open the frock at
the throat and seizing a squash from a boiling kettle thrust
it down the Indian’s back next to the flesh. Loosening his
hold of the man’s head, Jones suddenly forced him over on
his back, mashing the hot squash to a soft plaster that433
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
burned the flesh to a blister. The yells and contortions of
the victim incited the uproarious mirth of all present and
as Horatio released him he scrambled to his feet, tore off his
frock, and scraping the mass from his back slunk away
amid a chorus of jeers. Jones quietly resumed his seat and
continued his meal without further interruption.
Disappointed at the failure of his plan to injure the hand-
some boy through others, Sharp Shins determined to make
a personal effort to kill him. The wily runner was thor-
oughly skilled in the use of the tomahawk and could split a
sapling at a distance that few hunters could strike the tree.
While some of the young men were exhibiting their skill
in throwing axes at a tree, the runner joined the party and
watching his opportunity during the excitement of the game
managed to throw his tomahawk, apparently by accident,
directly at Jones. As if by a miracle the weapon" of the
treacherous savage missed the boy but all the passion in
Horatio’s nature was aroused at the act. Catching up the
keen axe he turned upon his persecutor and hurled the
weapon back with tremendous force. If the tomahawk had
been thrown with a skill equal to the strength expended in
the effort Sharp Shins would never more have traveled the
forest trails. As it was he received a blow from the flying
axe that knocked him over, inflicting injuries that confined
him to his hut for several days. The Indians generally ap-
proved the action of Hoc-sa-go-wah and he was not again
molested during the festival season.
During the early winter of 1781-2 the Indians on the
Genesee were attacked by smallpox, a disease that often
raged among the red men until it exhausted its malignant
force in a lack of victims. The Indians appealed to the
commandant of Niagara who sent English surgeons to care
for them. On the arrival of the surgeons, the sick were sep-
arated from the well, huts were prepared outside the village
to serve as hospitals, and as soon as symptoms appeared the
individuals were sent to these rude retreats. Few persons
on the upper Genesee escaped the contagion. Many died
and were immediately buried. Only those who had recov-
ered from the plague could be prevailed upon to care for the434
THE LIFE OF HORATIO I ONES.
sick and the reckless indifference of some of these unwilling
attendants was such that several persons were buried alive
when it appeared probable they could not recover. It was
the knowledge of this rather than the fatality of the scourge
that seriously alarmed Horatio when he was stricken and
removed to a lonely hut in the woods. “Against such a fate
Jones zealously guarded. Hence when the disease was at
its crisis, life was hanging in the balance equally poised and
he was no longer able to give verbal indications of vitality,
his irrepressible energy made sufficient sign that he was not
to be buried so long as he could breathe. His hardy con-
stitution withstood the shock of the disease, which cleansed
his system of all impurities, leaving him stronger than be-
fore.”* The scourge on the Genesee ran its course, when
the survivors resumed their ordinary routine of life.
Although Sharp Shins avoided all personal contact with
Jones after his unpleasant encounter at Squakie Hill, his
evil influence was ever secretly at work to annoy and injure
“the handsome boy.” The latter was, on several occasions,
placed in positions that required all his tact in order to ex-
tricate himself with credit to himself and he finally deter-
mined to bring matters to an issue either with Sharp Shins
or those whom he influenced to annoy him.
The winter was severe and the snow so deep at times that
persons wandering from beaten paths wore snowshoes. The
labor of procuring the fuel became too great for the
women who usually performed that duty and the young
men were sent out to bring in wood. On these occasions
the fuel hunters usually went in small parties, collected and
packed the wood in bundles that they carried on their shoul-
ders. By pursuing one route they made a narrow but well
beaten path in the snow nearly on a level with the ground
but wide enough for only one person. While out for wood
one day the friends of Sharp Shins determined to have some
sport at the expense of Jones, by pushing him, one after the
other, off the trail into the deep snow, leaving him to floun-
der out unaided.
* Sketch of Horatio Jones by S. H. Gridley, D. D., in Collections of Water-
loo Historical Society.THE LIFE OF HORATIO I ONES.
435
Horatio had secured some saplings and the sharp, jagged
roots were closely packed together at the ends. The load
was heavy and when the first brave threw him into the
deep snow he joined in the laugh against himself, as he
with some difficulty regained his footing. The second ef-
fort aroused his suspicions and the third his anger. As the
third Indian came up to try his skill the persecuted boy sud-
denly paused and turning his strength into one desperate
effort, whirled around on his toes. Jones had calculated his
distance well and the roots of the saplings struck the of-
fender square in the face, knocking him headlong into the
deep snow. Jones recovered his balance and without a
glance backward quietly continued his course, leaving the
discomfited bullies to assist their unfortunate comrade who
was badly injured.
It was encounters of this nature that taught even the
bravest of the Senecas to hesitate before unnecessarily pro-
voking the wrath that recked nothing of consequences in its
swift punishment of offenders. Yet while they feared his
anger even his worst enemy, the bow-legged runner, came
to understand that Horatio was just in his resentment, hon-
est in judgment and on occasions where others were at fault
but subject to reason he was forbearing even to mildness.
These traits of character won him many friends. An inci-
dent illustrates Jones* rare moral courage. The training of
the frontiersmen of that day included a knowledge of
wrestling, an art in which the Indians were quite deficient.
In many hand to hand fights between white and red men the
skill of the white wrestlers won the victory. The warriors
were well aware of this fact and as Jones was proficient in
all athletic exercises they frequently sought to improve their
muscular dexterity by friendly wrestling matches with the
nimble youth, whose skill usually proved more than equal
to their greater strength. “On one occasion a powerful
Seneca warrior challenged Horatio to a trial of strength.
For a time Jones permitted the warrior to throw him so
easily that many thought the captive had at length met his
match; but suddenly the Indian was raised from his feet
and laid upon his back. Instantly springing up he de-436
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
manded another trial and was again placed carefully upon
the ground. Greatly astonished the warrior insisted upon a
third trial in which all his strength was exerted to overcome
the young wrestler. Jones now brought into play an un-
expected movement, called the hip-lock, throwing the war-
rior heavily to the earth. Stung by the shouts of the spec-
tators and in pain from the shock, the Indian jumped up
exclaiming fiercely, ‘You hurt me; I kill you/ Running
for his hatchet he quickly returned with the uplifted weapon.
Horatio stood motionless, and as the Indian cautiously ap-
proached addressed him thus: ‘Cousin, this was a trial of
strength and you challenged me. I was the victor, but if
my cousin thinks me worthy of death, here I am/ The In-
dian hesitated a moment, then threw away the hatchet, and
approached with outstretched hands in token of friendship.
This display of unflinching courage rendered the Seneca
warrior a life-long friend.”*
VII. Horatio's Trip for the Trader.
In the early spring of 1782 an English trader came from
Fort Niagara to the Genesee with a stock of clothes
and trinkets. As Hoc-sa-go-wah was generally called
upon to act as interpreter in transactions between the
whites and Indians, the trader engaged his services.
The goods sold rapidly and finding that he could still
do a good business the trader concluded to replenish his
stock. During his intercourse with the young interpre-
ter he had become convinced that the latter was trust-
worthy, and in fact the only person he knew upon whom
he could rely; accordingly he made a proposition to
Horatio to go to Niagara and bring back a large package of
goods, offering as a reward for the labor an entire suit of
clothes, consisting of a blanket, coat, shirt, leggins, and col-
ored head-dress, with some silver ornaments in addition.
Jones at that time was permitted to go and come as he
pleased in the vicinity of Caneadea, and as the offer was too
* Sketch of Jones by Hon. Norman Seymour of Mt. Morris.THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
437
tempting to be declined he agreed to start as soon as he
could make the necessary preparations. Hastening home he
entered the house, shouting “Noh-yeh, noh-yeh!” (“Mother,
mother■!”) “Go-a-wak, go-a-wak,” (“My son, my son/')
returned the good woman, pausing a moment in her work
to smile at the impetuous youth and learn the cause of his
excitement. Horatio eagerly explained the proposition of
the trader and his own agreement to go after the goods,
without a thought that the arrangement would be otherwise
than pleasing to his family. To his astonishment the smile
gave place to an expression of grave disapproval and when
he had finished she sternly refused her consent, telling
Horatio he was not mature and was not strong enough to
carry a large pack such a distance; besides, she said, if he
went to Niagara alone among the white people he would not
return and she would never see him again. In vain he
promised and argued; she would not listen and positively
forbade him to leave home.
Seeing her so resolute he apparently accepted her decision
as final and cheerfully started upon some slight mission she
required. Being quite as stubborn as his Indian mother he
determined to go at any cost. During the day he informed
the trader of the state of affairs and received from the latter
an order upon the post-sutler at Niagara for the goods
wanted. Later he. removed his rifle and equipments to a
hiding place in the woods, managed to secure some bread
and rested as much as possible during the day. At night
Horatio retired at an early hour and apparently soon fell
asleep; he however watched the tardy movements of the
other members of his family until all were wrapped in sound
slumber. Then he stole quietly into the forest, secured his
arms and food and started on the trail for Buffalo Creek.
The path ran northwest over the summit that divides the
waters of the Genesee River from those of Lake Erie; fell
into the valley of Cattaraugus Creek, passed over into the
valley of the west branch of Buffalo Creek and followed the
general course of that stream to the Seneca settlement at the
junction of the branch with the main stream four miles from
its mouth on Lake Erie. Having been over the trail with438
THE LIFE OF HORATIO I ONES.
the fishing party the young captive was familiar with the
route. He had no fear of meeting any one during the night
and as there was sufficient light to enable him to see the path
quite plainly he started at a rapid pace; but as daylight ap-
proached he turned aside into a dense thicket at a bend of
the path. Here on a bed of dry pine needles he reclined in
such a manner that he could see the trail for a dis-
tance each way without danger of being discovered himself
by persons on the road. After eating his simple meal and
placing his arms ready for instant use he stretched out his
weary limbs and fell asleep. Being awakened late in the
afternoon by the sound of voices, he looked forth from
his concealment and saw two Indians approaching over the
trail by which he had come. He recognized them at once
and knew they were in pursuit of him.
It had been his intention to abandon the regular path for
the rest of the day and to travel parallel with and at such a
distance from it as to avoid being seen, but as the pursuers
were now in advance he had no further fear of being over-
taken. An hour after the Indians passed he resumed his
journey on the main trail. Traveling through the lonely
forest all that night, he crossed several streams and avoid-
ing Indian camps near the end of Lake Erie, passed over
the present site of Buffalo on the trail running down the
east side of the Niagara River. As he was again in advance
of his pursuers, probably, he halted for a brief rest and ate
his breakfast. Resuming the march by daylight he for-
tunately reached the crossing of Tonawanda Creek without
encountering a human being. As the route was much trav-
eled a canoe was usually kept at this point for general use as
a ferry. Finding the canoe on the east side Horatio hastily
paddled across the stream, secured the boat, hastened on-
ward two or three miles and again turned aside at a place
where he could rest and at the same time look out without
himself being observed. As he munched his coarse brown
bread he soberly considered the situation. At the point
where he lay the trail turned nearly west following the curve
of the Niagara River to Fort Schlosser, a few miles further
on. He knew that Indians in greater or less numbers wereTHE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.	439
almost constantly encamped at Schlosser and he feared that
some of them might annoy or detain him, if he kept the
usual road.
By waiting a few hours he would get a much-needed rest
and possibly be able to pass Schlosser unobserved in the
darkness; but even if he were successful the delay might
bring his pursuers upon him. He now decided upon a
movement that illustrates his courage and self-reliance in
taking risks to accomplish desired ends. Up to this point
he had depended upon the regular Indian paths for his
course, but he now decided to take a straight cut through
the wilderness to Fort Niagara. To his great joy after sev-
eral hours of travel he came out upon the portage road not
far from the crest of the mountain ridge near the present
village of Lewiston. Stepping into the well-beaten path he
walked to the mouth of the river, some eight or nine miles,
boldly entered the fort, presented his order, received his
goods, obtained some bread and hurried back into the forest.
Not daring to take the open trail on the return journey and
encouraged by the success of his first venture Horatio again
ventured through the woods', taking a course further east
that avoided the river trail and led him to the crossing of
Buffalo Creek, where he resumed the regular path to the
Genesee. In due time he arrived safely with his heavy
load. This had been a difficult, lonely journey of about ioo
miles through a gloomy wilderness. Yet Horatio experi-
enced no exultation beyond a thought of satisfaction at the
probability of securing greater liberty in his future move-
ments. The trader, receiving his goods, at once paid the
carrier his well-earned reward. Horatio arrayed himself in
his new clothes and marched proudly home. His mother
was delighted at his return and his other relatives were loud
in their expressions of welcome; his arrival in advance of
the runners sent to bring him back convinced them of his
sincerity.
Accepting the greetings with good-nature Horatio im-
proved the opportunity to impress upon the minds of all that
he had no desire to return to the settlements of the whites
but wished to remain with the red men if they would permit440
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
him the rights and privileges to which the other young men
of the nation were entitled. Thereafter his family accorded
him their full confidence, permitting him to come and go un-
questioned; but he was conscious that others maintained
secret watch upon his actions.
VIII. Van Campen's Capture and Escape.
Among those whose lives were intimately associated with
Horatio Jones was Moses Van Campen,* who was born in
1757 in Hunterdon Co., New Jersey. Soon after his birth
the family moved to Northampton Co., Pennsylvania, and
located on the Delaware River; but in 1773, in com-
pany with a brother they moved to Northumberland Co.,
to the present town of Orange, about eight miles above the
mouth of Fishing Creek. This stream enters the north
branch of the Susquehanna, near the present town of Ru-
pert, Columbia Co., the Fishing Creek country being one of
the points where were the earliest settlements of the North
Branch.
The Indian trail from the West Branch to Nescopeck
crossed the divide several miles above Jerseytown, and an
Indian town was located where Lycoming, Montour, and
Columbia counties meet. Even after the whites began to
occupy the soil in considerable numbers the savages clung
tenaciously to that region which had been a favorite hunt-
ing ground. Among the pioneers of the Lower Fishing
Creek were James McClure, Thomas Clayton, Peter Melick,
Joseph Wheeler, Joseph Salmon, the Van Campens, Aik-
mans, McHenrys and others whose names have long been
conspicuous in history.
“In 1775, two years subsequent to the advent of the Van
* “Life of Moses Van Campen” by J. N. Hubbard, B. A., Dansville, N. Y.,
1842; revised and re-published at Fillmore, N. Y., in 1893 by John S. Minard;
Also “Petition of Van Campen to Congress” with affidavits of Horatio Jones;
Bates’ “History of Columbia Co., Pa.,” by C. F. Hill, Hazelton, Pa.; Stone’s
“Life of Brant,” Sims’ “History of Schoharie Co.” and “Pioneers of the Gene-
see Valley.”THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
441
Campens,” says Bates, “George Whitmoyer,* Michael Billi-
mer and Daniel Welliner came from that region on the Dela-
ware in New Jersey opposite Northampton Co., and cross-'
ing Eastern Pennsylvania to Harris’ ferry, followed the
Susquehanna and Frozen Duck, or Chillisquaque, to the
Jerseytown valley.
“Whitmoyer settled a short distance above Jerseytown,
Billimer located on Muddy Run, and Welliner fixed his resi-
dence on Whetstone Run.”
Surrounded by these pioneer families, in a comfortable
log cabin, Moses Van Campen matured into a sturdy young
man, innured to the hardships of border life, skilled in wood-
craft, and with a considerable acquaintance among the In-
dians, who frequented the region. He was a natural leader
of men engaged in desperate enterprises. In 1776 he en-
tered the Continental army as an ensign in the 12th Penn-
sylvania regiment, commanded by Col. Wm. Cook, and the
following year became orderly sergeant of Capt. Gaskin’s
company in Col. Kelley’s regiment. In 1778 he was a lieu-
tenant of a company of six-months’ men and in April built
Fort Wheeler, on Fishing Creek, about three miles above its
mouth. In 1779 Moses Van Campen was appointed quarter-
master of General Sullivan’s army, held that position during
the expedition to the Genesee valley, and at the close of the
campaign, returned to Fort Wheeler, where his father and
several neighbors still remained.
The Indians had been so completely routed by Sullivan
that the Americans had little fear of further invasions, so in
the spring of 1780 the Fishing Creek settlers determined to
re-occupy their farms. Late in March Moses Van Campen’s
father and uncle left Fort Wheeler for their farms about two
miles up the creek. They were accompanied by Moses, a
young brother, a cousin also a lad, and Peter Pence, one of
the most noted hunters and Indian fighters of the Susque-
* The earliest form of this name that we find is “Witmer”; it was so spelled
by the emigrant from Switzerland who reached Philadelphia in 1733. It has
since had various forms. Mr. Harris usually wrote “Whitmoyer,” as it is
given in many records; the more modern form, “Whitmore,” is used by Sarah
Whitmore’s granddaughter, Mrs. Sarah E. Gunn, in her narrative of the cap-
tivity, printed later on in this volume.442
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
hanna region. Establishing a camp on each farm the parties
began the work of reconstructing their houses. Not fearing
any danger they were not armed, having with them but two
rifles, one at each camp.
One of the first results of Guy Johnson’s efforts to hasten
the red men upon the warpath in the spring of 1780 was an
expedition headed by Joseph Brant, that left Niagara in
March. Proceeding to the Genesee, a number of people re-
mained there, while the chief and forty-three Indians, and
seventy Tory rangers, crossed the summit at the head of the
Canaseraga and descended the Chemung to Tioga Point,
where they joined detachments under John Mohawk and
English, two noted chiefs, departing from there to ravage
the Pennsylvania settlements. They continued in company
down the Susquehanna to Meshoppen Creek, where the two
bands separated. English, with six warriors, proceeded to
the upper end of Wyoming valley, capturing Libbeus Ham-
mond, a man named Bennett, and his young son. Retreating
to Meshoppen Creek the party camped to await the return
of the other detachment.
Chief English could talk with the prisoners in their own
language; during the evening he began a conversation with
Hammond. Among other matters he asked the latter if he
had ever known Lieut. Boyd of Gen. Sullivan’s army. Ham-
mond replied that he was once intimately acquainted with
that officer. English then produced a sword and drawing
a blade from the scabbard handed it to Hammond with a
smile of exultation, saying, “There is Boyd’s sword.” Ham-
mond examined the weapon closely and discovered the ini-
tials T. B. stamped on the side near the hilt. English said he
commanded the Indians lying in ambush for the advance of
Sullivan’s army the night Boyd was sent on as a scout. After
describing in detail the capture of Boyd, Chief English con-
tinued : “We took Boyd prisoner and put him to death. We
cut off his fingers and toes and plucked out his eyes, but
Boyd neither asked for mercy nor uttered a complaint.
Boyd was a brave man and as good a soldier as ever fought
against the red men.” After the recital of English the pris-
oners were securely bound and the warriors lay down toTHE LIFE OF HORATIO I ONES.
443
sleep. At daylight a cold wind caused the Indians to loosen
the prisoners, with orders to build a large fire. Six of the
warriors again went to sleep, leaving one on guard. The
prisoners determined to escape and watching their oppor-
tunity Hammond suddenly caught up a spear and thrust it
through the body of the guard with such force that the
breast bone closed on the spear head holding it firmly. The
Indian fell forward on the fire with a yell and Hammond
tugged at the spear to withdraw it. English sprang to his
feet with a “Chee-whoo, chee-whoo.” Bennett seized a
tomahawk, buried it in the head of the chief and instantly
followed up the blow by braining three others. Hammond
now abandoned his spear and as the remaining two Indians
had fled into the woods, he threw a tomahawk, severely
wounding one in the shoulder. During the fight Bennett's
son tried to shoot, but found the guns empty. The whites
gathered up such things, as they desired, including Boyd's
sword, threw everything else into the fire and set out for
their homes, where they arrived three days later.*
After the departure of English and his party from Tioga
Point, Mohawk with nine warriors went down the Sus-
quehanna to the vicinity or Shawnee Flats, where they killed
Asa Upson, and captured a boy named Jonah Rogers. Ad-
vancing to Fishing Creek the Indians killed the uncle of
Moses Van Campen, captured the young son of the latter
and Peter Pence. Shortly after they surprised and cap-
tured Moses Van Campen and killed his father and young
brother. Continuing up Fishing Creek to the head of Plem-
lock Creek they captured a man named Abraham Pike, with
his wife and child. “These,” says Hubbard, “they stripped
of all their clothing except a thin garment. One of the sav-
ages took the little one by the heels and swung it around
with the intention of dashing out its brains against a tree.
The infant screamed and the mother with a frantic shriek
* Hubbard’s “Life of Van Campen,” Stone’s “Life of Brant,” “Annals of
Binghamton” by J. B. Wilkinson, and statements to the writer by Asa P.
Bovier of. Elmira, a grandson of Hammond. While at a treaty at Elmira in
1790 Hammond saw the Indian whom he wounded with the tomahawk at Wyom-
ing. Several years later Hammond gave the sword to Col. John Boyd, the
former commander and fellow captive of Horatio Jones.444
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
flew to its relief, catching hold of the warrior’s arm. Chief
Mohawk seeing the situation came up, took the child from
the cruel wretch and gave it to the agonized mother. He
then returned the clothing that had been torn from her and
taking out his paint box painted his mark upon her face,
pointed in the direction he wanted her to go, saying, ‘Joggo,
squaw.’ She departed and arrived safely at Wyoming.”
The Indians with Van Campen, Pence, Pike and the two
boys continued their retreat to Meshoppen Creek, where
they discovered the fate of English and his party. The
faces of the warriors suddenly lighted up with passion and
every move indicated their desire for revenge. Mohawk
alone retained his composure; his utmost efforts were re-
quired to prevent the savages from immediately avenging
their comrades by the torture of the prisoners. On reaching
a point about fifteen miles from Tioga Point the party
camped to wait the arrival of Brant.
Knowing they were doomed to torture and death Van
Campen arranged with Pence and Pike to attempt escape.
They planned to disarm the warriors while asleep. Pence
was to take possession of the guns and fire, while Pike was
to kill two on the left with a tomahawk and Van Campen
the three on the right in a similar manner. That night the
prisoners were bound as usual. “About midnight,” says
Van Campen, in his petition to Congress, “I got up and
found them in a sound sleep. I slipped to Pence who arose;
I cut him loose and he did the same by me; then I cut Pike
loose; in a minute’s time we disarmed the Indians. Pence
took his station at the guns. Pike and myself with toma-
hawks took our stations. At that moment Pike’s two awoke
and were getting up. Here Pike proved a coward and lay
down. It was a critical moment. I saw there was no time
to lose; their heads turned up fair; I despatched them in a
moment and turned to my lot as agreed. As I was about to
dispatch the last one on my side of the fire, Pence shot and
did good execution. There was only one at the off wing
that his ball did not reach, a stout, daring fellow named
Mohawk. At the alarm he jumped off about three rods from
the fire; he saw it was the prisoners who made the attack;THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
445
giving the war-whoop he darted for the guns; I was quick
to prevent him. The contest was then between him and my-
self. As I raised my tomahawk he turned quickly to jump
from me; I followed and struck at him, but missing his
head my tomahawk struck his shoulder, or rather the back
of his neck. He pitched forward and fell; at the same time
my foot slipped and I fell by his side. We clinched; his
arm was naked; he caught me round my neck; I caught
him with my left arm around the body and gave him a close
hug, at the same time feeling for his knife, but could not
reach it. In our scuffle my tomahawk dropped out. My
head was under the wounded shoulder and I was almost
suffocated with blood. I made a violent spring and broke
from his hold; we both rose at the same time and he ran.
It took me some time to clear the blood from my eyes. My
tomahawk had got covered and I could not find it in time
to overtake him. He was the only one of the party who
escaped. Pike was powerless; he was trying to pray and
Pence was swearing at him, charging him with cowardice,
saying it was no time to pray, he ought to fight. We were
masters of the ground. I then turned my attention to scalp-
ing them and recovered the scalps of my father and brother
and others; I strung them on my belt for safekeeping. We
kept our ground till morning, built a raft and set sail for
Wyoming. . ; . The following day I went to Sunbury.
... I was received with joy, my scalps were exhibited,
the cannons were fired, etc.”
After the departure of English and Mohawk from Tioga
Point the main expedition under Brant proceeded to the
head waters of the Delaware, where Capt. Alexander Harper
and thirteen militia on April 7th were surprised in a sugar
camp. Harper told Brant there was a large force pf troops
at Schoharie and so impressed the war chief that the latter
decided to change his course and at once began a retreat.
Descending the Delaware to Cook House flats where Jasper
Parrish had previously been located, the expedition crossed
over to Oquago, constructed rafts, and floated down the Sus-
quehanna to the Chemung where they were to meet the de-
tachment of seventeen men. “Mohawk,” says Sims, “was446
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
occupying a little hut near Tioga Point, where the Minne-
sink party were to await Brant's arrival, trying to heal his
wound." “As the party under Brant drew near the place
the war-whoop was sounded and soon answered by a pitiful
howl—the death yell of the lone Indian." “The party
halted in mute astonishment when Mohawk, with nine pair
of moccasins taken from the feet of his dead comrades, came
forward and related the adventures of himself and friends
and the terrible disaster that had overtaken them all." “The
effect upon the warriors who gathered in a group to hear
the recital," says Stone, “was inexpressibly fearful. Rage
and desire for revenge seemed to kindle every bosom and
light every eye as with burning coals. They gathered round
the prisoners in a circle and began to make unequivocal prep-
arations for hacking them to pieces. Harper and his men
gave themselves up for lost . . . but at this moment de-
liverance came from an unexpected quarter, . . . the only
survivor of the murdered party rushed into the circle and
interposed in favor of the captives. With a wave of the
hand as from one entitled to be heard, for he was a chief,
silence was restored and the prisoners were surprised by the
utterance of an earnest appeal in their behalf."
Capt. Harper knew enough of the Indian language to
understand its import. In substance the chief appealed to
his brother warriors in favor of the prisoners upon the
ground that it was not they who murdered their brothers;
to take the lives of the innocent would not be right in the
eyes of the Great Spirit. His appeal was effectual; the
passions of the incensed warriors were hushed; their eyes
no longer shot forth burning glances of revenge and their
gesticulations ceased to menace immediate and bloody re-
venge. “True . . . the chief who had thus thrown him-
self spontaneously between them and death knew all the
prisoners, he having resided in the Schohara canton of the
Mohawks before the war. He doubtless felt a deeper in-
terest in their welfare on that account; still it was a noble
action worthy of the proudest era of chivalry and in the
palmy days of Greece and Rome would have insured him
‘an apotheosis and rites divine'. . . . The prisoners wereTHE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
447
so impressed with the manner of their deliverance that they
justly attributed it to a direct interposition of the providence
of God.”
Brant conducted the prisoners to Fort Niagara and de-
livered them to Col. Butler. The feat of Van Campen and
Pence was noised abroad and all the Indian nations in the
service of the King condemned them as national enemies.
Their names were repeated from lip to lip and lodge to lodge
and with the view of discovering one or both of them every
white prisoner taken by the Indians for many months was
subjected to a rigid examination.
Besides the expedition headed by Brant, a second war-
party composed entirely of Indians and including warriors
from several nations, was organized on the Genesee in
March, 1780. Leaving Little Beard's Town prior to the ar-
rival of Brant's expedition and descendinig to the Susque-
hanna by a more westerly route, the party reached the lower
Fishing Creek valley on the same day that Mohawk's band
captured Moses Van Campen and his friends. Billimer and
Welliner, who early realized their exposed situation, in good
time retreated to one of the forts, but George Whitmoyer
either continued to reside at his farm, or had returned to it,
before the arrival of the war-party. It was Easter morning.
The Whitmoyers awoke unconscious of the terrible danger
that menaced them. Two girls, Catharine and Ann, aged
fourteen and twelve, started out before daylight to secure
the sap flowing in a sugar bush. Philip, the eldest son, par-
tially dressed, was kneeling on the hearth of the great fire-
place endeavoring to kindle the smoldering embers into
flame. Suddenly the door was thrown open and a yell rent
the air. The half-dazed boy turned his head to learn the
cause and, as he glanced over his shoulder, the painted form
of a half-naked savage with uplifted tomahawk, met his
horrified gaze. Mr. Whitmoyer comprehending the situa-
tion, sprang out of bed and reached for his rifle to shoot the
intruder, who stood for one moment undecided whether to
strike the father or son; but a shot through the half open
door stretched the brave pioneer lifeless on the floor; before
Philip had time to move the keen tomahawk of the savage448
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
was buried in his brain; his scalp was torn off and his
mother tomahawked in her bed.
Meeting no resistance, the savages searched the house
and secured Sarah, aged seventeen; Mary, ten; Peter,
eight; George, six; John, four years, and an infant. Tak-
ing such plunder as they desired the Indians emptied the
beds upon the fire and the humble homestead was speedily
enveloped in flames. The smoke from the burning cabin
and the whoop .of the savages warned the children in the
sugar bush of the loss of home and relatives. Realizing
that their own safety was threatened, and that they were
utterly unable to render assistance to the dear ones, they
hastily concealed themselves.*
Knowing that an avenging force would speedily follow
them, the savages gathered up their plunder, thrust each
captive child upon a horse in front of a warrior and hur-
riedly retreated northward. The children, being mounted,
were saved the fatigue of travel and the Indians were thus
enabled to journey at a more rapid rate than was usually
maintained in a retreat with prisoners. The eldest girl,
Sarah, or Sally as she was familiarly called, had secured
the babe at the death of the mother, and, clasping it closely
in her arms, soothed it to rest. When placed on a horse
Sally still held the child, which became frightened and be-
gan to cry, whereupon the Indian with whom they were
riding struck it a heavy blow that only increased its cries.
Becoming enraged, the savage seized the child by one of
its feet, swung it about his head and brained it on the near-
est tree. Sally struggled to save the babe or to rescue its
lifeless body hastily thrown upon the ground. She received
brutal warning to desist if she wished to escape a similar
fate. For the sake of the other children whom she con-
sidered her own charge, she stifled the agony in her heart
and endeavored to obey. Being well mounted the Indians
pushed forward, distancing any pursuers, and making only
* The following day a party of rangers visited the ruins and buried the
dead; the graves on the old road from Jerseytown to Washingtonville being
still pointed out by descendants of the early settlers. Three days later some
friends searched the sugar bush and discovered the two girls safe in their place
of concealment.THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
449
the briefest stops until they passed the borders of New
York. Then they halted for a rest and assembled in council
to settle the fate of their captives. It being the policy to in-
crease their numbers by prisoners, especially by the adoption
of children, Mary and Peter were assigned to their Mohawk
captors and taken to Brant’s town at Niagara; George and
John were claimed by Senecas, who had established homes
at Tonawanda, while Sarah was separated from the others
and sent to a family living at Deonindagao, or Little Beard’s
Town.*
IN. Pigeons and Prisoners—Van Campen Again.
Soon after Horatio’s return from Niagara his mother de-
cided to visit her brother, Gy-ant-wa-chia, or £ornplanter,
who had settled on the Allegheny River. In order to obtain
supplies, the family first journeyed to Fort Niagara and
thence to their old camping ground at Devil’s Hole. After
leaving this camp the hunter’s family returned to Buffalo
Creek, and continued on through Cattaraugus to Corn-
planter’s town, on the Allegheny. Soon after their arrival
a runner came in shouting, “Yu-ak-oo-was, yu-ak-oo-was!”
(“Pigeons, pigeons!”) He said the birds had roosted in a
wood on the Genesee River, about two days’ journey above
Caneadea village.
All was now bustle and confusion, and every person in
the village who could bear the fatigue of travel at once set
out for the Genesee. On their arrival at the place designated
by the runner, Jones beheld a sight that he never forgot.
The pigeons, in numbers too great to estimate, had made
their temporary homes in a thick forest. Each tree and
branch bore nests on every available spot. The birds had
exhausted every species of nesting material in the vicinity,
including the small twigs of the trees, and the ground was
as bare as though swept with a broom. The eggs were
hatching and thousands of squabs filled the nests. Every
*For an account of her captivity, see the narrative by Mrs. S. E. Gunn, a
great-granddaughter of Sarah Whitmoyer and Horatio Jones, in this volume.450
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
morning the parent birds rose from the roost, the noise of
their wings sounding like continuous rolls of distant thun-
der, as flock after flock soared away to obtain food. A little
before noon they began to return to feed their young; then
arose a deafening chorus of shrill cries as the awkward
younglings stood up in the nests with wide open mouths ut-
tering their calls of hunger. Soon after noon the old birds
departed again to return about sunset, when they came in
such dense flocks as to darken the woods. All night long
the sound of breaking branches caused by overloading the
roosts, and the whir and flutter of falling birds trying to
regain their foothold, disturbed the usual silence of the
forest.
As the annual nesting of the pigeons was a matter of
great importance to the Indians, who depended largely upon
the supply of food thus obtained, runners carried the news
to every part of the Seneca territory, and the inhabitants,
singly and in bands, came from as far east as Seneca Lake
and as far north as Lake Ontario. Within a few days sev-
eral hundred men, women and children gathered in the lo-
cality of the pigeon woods. Among those who came were a
dozen or more captive whites, with several of whom Jones
had some acquaintances. One of these captives, a Dutch-
man named Smith Houser, was a simple-minded fellow
whom Jones had befriended on various occasions, thus win-
ning his friendship. For their temporary accommodation
the people erected habitations of a primitive style, consisting
mainly of huts constructed by setting up two crotched stakes
on top of which a pole was laid. Other poles were placed
against the ridge, three or four on each side, with the lower
ends resting on the ground. One or two poles were then
tied across the others parallel with the ridge-pole and to
these were fastened long over-lapping sheets of bark form-
ing tent-shaped huts with one open end that was closed at
night by curtains of skins and blankets. This form of cabin
was easily erected in a short time, and afforded a fair shelter
to the occupants during the brief period of their stay.
The Indians cut down the roosting trees to secure the
birds, and each day thousands of squabs were killed. FiresTHE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
451
were made in front of the cabins and bunches of the dressed
birds were suspended on poles sustained by crotched sticks,
to dry in the heat and the smoke. When properly cured they
were packed in bags or baskets for transportation to the
home towns. It was a festival season for the red men and
even the meanest dog in camp had his fill of pigeon meat.
In addition to the families at the pigeon woods, forty
warriors on their way from Fort Niagara southward, halted
there for a few days to enjoy the sport and obtain a supply
of cured birds for food on their journey.
Upon his return to Northumberland after the massacre
of Mohawk's band, Moses Van Campen reentered the serv-
ice as lieutenant in a company commanded by Capt. Thomas
Robinson. On the 16th of April, 1782, while out on Bald
Eagle Creek with twenty-five men, Van. Campen was at-
tacked by eighty-five Indians under Hudson and Shongo,
assisted by Lieut. Nelles and a platoon of Butler's Rangers.
Nine of Van Campen's men were killed, three escaped, and
the rest, including Van Campen, surrendered to Nelles.
The savages then began to murder the wounded prisoners,
killed two and assaulted a third, when Van Campen inter-
fered and struck a warrior a blow that knocked him sense-
less. Some of the Indians at once attacked the lieutenant,
but others who admired his courageous act interposed to
save Him; a terrible struggle took place between the two
factions; the admirers of Van Campen saved his life.
The surviving soldiers were stripped of all clothing but
their pantaloons. Van Campen's commission containing his
name and rank was in a silken case suspended from his neck
by a ribbon. The Indians secured the case and tore of! the
ribbon but as none of them could read and neither Nelles
nor his men happened to see it, it was left upon the ground,
so none of the party was aware that their long-looked-for
enemy was in custody. Placing heavy packs of plunder
upon the prisoners, the savages crossed the Susquehanna at
Big Island, made their way across the hills to Pine Creek
above the first fork, which they followed up to the third fork,
took the most northerly branch to its head, crossed the
Genesee, and in two days' journey down that stream ar-452
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
rived at the pigeon woods, where they camped a short dis-
tance from the huts of the Indians with whom was Horatio
Jones. The prisoners were naked, except their pantaloons,
but Van Campen had in addition an old blanket given him
by one of the warriors. His name was still unknown to his
captors, but the band had scarcely halted before he noticed
that the attention of all the people was upon himself. He
was soon taken to the camp of the outgoing war-party for
examination. ‘
“Upon coming up to the warriors,” says Hubbard, “Van
Campen was made to sit on one side of the fire between the
rows of cabins where he could be seen by all who wished to
gratify their pride or curiosity in beholding him as a trophy
of their awful warfare. But he was no less curious than they
in surveying the forms that met his eyes, for he was inter-
ested in knowing whether among those that were before him
there could be the Indian with whom he had a severe en-
counter when making his escape in April, 1780; yet he no-
where saw anything of the warrior Mohawk and he began
to feel a little more at ease.”
Upon the arrival at the pigeon woods of Nelles and his
party, with Van Campen and his men, Jones was at a dis-
tance and while coming leisurely to camp ran upon Houser,
who was talking aloud to himself in an excited and un-
guarded manner:	“Vot for dot Van Camp vot killed the
Injuns comes among us! Now we’ll all be burnt every tarn
bugger of us. Yes, we will, dots vot, oney way!”
“Tut, tut,” said Jones, in a low voice. “What’s the mat-
ter, Houser?”
“Vy, Van Camp what killed the Injuns is here and we’ll
all be burnt to the stake, so sure as my gun was a firelock,
oney vay!”
“Stop, stop,” said Horatio, looking cautiously about to
see if others were near. “How do you know that the man
who killed the Indians is here ?”
Houser answered that a party had just come in with
prisoners, that he went to see the captives and recognized
one as an old acquaintance named Elisha Hunt. That he
spoke to “Lish,” who said that he belonged to Van Campen’sTHE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
453
company and that that officer was now among the prisoners.
Jones was astonished at the information. He was familiar
with the story of Van Campen’s marvelous escape and by
direction of the chiefs had occasionally asked questions of
prisoners regarding the redoubtable frontiersman, but of
late the topic had not been mentioned. As he stood a mo-
ment in deep thought, Houser said: “Dat’s Lish Hunt vot
stands by der dree yonder,” at the same time pointing to
one of the groups of prisoners, surrounded by men, women
and children, all staring at the wretched militiamen.
“See here, Houser,” said Horatio, with an earnestness
that startled the Dutchman, “Don’t you stir a foot nor
speak a word till I come back.” Then he walked over to the
group and approached Hunt, who was a little apart from
his comrades. There was nothing in the appearance of
Jones to distinguish him from the Indians about him. He
was clad in full Indian costume and his bronzed features
were about as dark as the faces of many of his red asso-
ciates. Without seeming to notice the soldier he spoke to
the latter in a low voice.
“Elisha Hunt, if you men do not wish to be burned alive
at once, do not tell any one of the name of your captain.
Caution your comrades.”
Before the militiaman could speak, Jones disappeared in
the crowd, then returned to Houser. The latter was in great
fear and Horatio purposely increased his distress. “I don’t
believe the man who killed the Indians is here, Houser,” he
said, “but if our people once get that idea in their heads
they will surely kill us all. Now if anyone speaks to you
about these men you must lie like the deuce, and stick to it
too, or you will be tortured to death by fire; you keep close
to me where I can see you every moment, and when the In-
dians ask you any questions answer ‘Te-qua’ (“I don’t
know”)* and do not speak another word; and Houser,”
continued Jones, stepping close to the Dutchman and speak-
ing in a stern tone that caused the unhappy fellow to start
as though struck by a blow, “If you ever tell a person of this
conversation I will kill you” The desired effect was pro-
* Allen’s narrative.454
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
duced upon the simple-minded man, who promised strictly
to obey Jones in every particular. This incident had occu-
pied but a short time and without attracting the attention of
others, and Horatio, closely followed by Houser, proceeded
directly to the camp where “the man who killed the In-
dians” had previously been taken.
“During the time Van Campen was sitting by the fire,”
continues his biographer, “the warriors were standing in a
group not far distant, engaged in earnest conversation, the
subject of which he supposed to be himself. Presently the
conversation ceased, the crowd opened and a person of
noble proportions came slowly forth. In color and garb he
was an Indian, but these were all that gave him claim to be
a savage warrior. He came to Van Campen and com-
menced questioning him concerning that part of the fron-
tier from which he had been taken, inquired about the
number and condition of the inhabitants, the manner in
which they were defended, the number and vigilance of
their scouts, etc.” “The c.aptive officer gave correct answers
to all of these questions except the one respecting the
strength of the force guarding the settlements; this- he rep-
resented as being much greater than it was, to discourage
them, if possible, from visiting the frontier. He said the
country about Northumberland was very strongly garrisoned
with troops and that large numbers of scouts were sent in
every direction to discover and waylay any Indians who
might be sent against them. He was next directed to mark
out with a coal, upon a piece of bark, the course of streams
emptying into the Susquehanna, the situation of forts and
the paths pursued by scoutsi. In marking down the courses
of streams and the location of the forts Van Campen ob-
served accuracy of statement for he knew that the Indians
were as well acquainted as himself with these matters. He
expected that his exactness in this would lead them to give
more credit to that part of his story in which he desired to
exaggerate. Executing his work promptly and correctly he
showed them on his little bark map the situation of the forts
and routes of the scouting parties, again giving them a very
large idea of the number of soldiers and preparations of theTHE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
455
settlers to receive an attack/’ In the questions asked him
Van Campen observed that the subject of his identity was
not broached. This fact was not surprising as it was a cus-
tom of the Indians never to inquire the name of a person of
himself. When the examination was ended a chief asked the
interpreter if he knew of the officer. He threw a careless
glance at Van Campen and replied in an indifferent manner,
“I never saw the man before.” Houser was standing near
watching the proceedings. At that instant Jones caught the
eye of the Dutchman and the latter blubbered out “Te-qua,
te-qua.” His distress was so evident and his weakness so
well understood that the warriors laughed at his needless
fears. Every other white captive was called forward to
look at the prisoner. Fortunately all were strangers and un-
able to identify him. “Immediately after the examination,”
says Hubbard, “the Indian interpreter by whom Van
Campen had been questioned, came up to him and said in a
rather low voice, ‘There is only one besides myself in this
company that knows anything about you.’ Van Campen re-
plied rather sternly, ‘And what do you know about me, sir ?’
‘Why, you are the man who killed the Indians!’ Van Cam-
pen’s thoughts were then turned to the fire and tomahawk,
supposing that since he was known he would certainly fall
a victim to savage barbarity. He enquired the name of the
one who was standing by his side and was answered ‘Horatio
Jones.’ The interpreter then spoke, ‘Do not be discouraged,
sir, for I too am a prisoner and a white man in blood and
sympathy. You can be assured of my silence and friend-
ship.’ Van Campen quickly looked up; stern warrior that
he was, the moisture came to his eyes as he exclaimed with
heartfelt fervor, ‘Those are the sweetest words I ever heard
spoken.’ As the interpreter gave renewed assurances of
secrecy promising to use his influence in behalf of the other
prisoners, Van Campen felt his courage revive. Jones told
him that the Tories and Indians were well informed con-
cerning the destruction of Mohawk’s men and the slightest
suspicion of his identity would certainly result in his torture.
If he could pass through to Niagara undiscovered and be
consigned to the British there was hope for him, otherwise456
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
there was none. He must trust in Providence and be brave.”
This language and the earnest manner of the interpreter
inspired Van Campen with the belief that he was in the
presence of a friend in whom he could repose perfect con-
fidence. Yet he was not then aware of the extent of his ob-
ligations to Jones, nor of the decided action the latter had
taken to suppress the report of his presence in camp; a fact
that he soon after learned of Elisha Hunt.
The party remained at the pigeon woods only two days,
their departure being hastened through some stratagem of
Jones, known only to himself. During that time he was
cautious in his communications with the prisoners lest his
actions arouse suspicion; yet he managed to hold consider-
able conversation with Van Campen who parted from him
with deep emotion. /'Under Providence, Sir,” he said,
wringing Horatio’s brown hand, “I owe my life to you, and
so long as I live I shall bear your kindness in earnest re-
membrance.”
Continuing down the Genesee to Caneadea Van Campen
and all his men were then compelled to run the gauntlet to
the same house where so many others had sought refuge in
similar trials. Caneadea being the home village of the ex-
pedition the prisoners were divided there. Elisha Hunt and
one or two others were taken by their captors to Little
Beard’s Town. The warriors claiming Van Campen under
escort of Nelles and his rangers, took the trail to Niagara
where the American officer was delivered to the British.
Jones remained at the pigeon woods with the company
from Cornplanter’s settlement and part of the war-party
lingered engaged in- the sport of catching pigeons. One day
an Indian, travel-stained and exhausted arrived in camp.
The warriors were hastily summoned to his presence and
recognized the brave chieftain Mohawk. He informed them
that while on an expedition near Bald Eagle Creek he had
learned of the defeat of Van Campen’s company and the cap-
ture of that officer and several of his men. Leaving his own
band Mohawk started on the trail of Nelles and with the
briefest possible stops for food and rest had followed the
party to the pigeon woods.THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
457
Standing up before the astonished warriors Mohawk re-
lated the thrilling story of the massacre, described the
struggle between Van Campen and himself, and striding
back and forth like a caged tiger, his black eyes glowing
with anger, he tore the blanket from his back, pointed to a
deep scar in his left shoulder saying, “This was made by Van
Campen with my own ax and this”—holding a tomahawk up
to view—“is the weapon.” The warriors were greatly en-
raged at Mohawk's recital and furious on learning that the
man they so fervently hated had passed safely through their
hands. Their first thought was that he could have escaped
detection only by the assistance of some one among them-
selves. As communication with Van Campen had been held
mainly through Jones, the latter was brought before the
chiefs and sternly questioned regarding his knowledge of the
prisoners. As he saw the glowering faces about him his
heart grew heavy and he fully believed he was doomed to
death. Knowing the general good feeling of the people
towards himself and their confidence in his word he deter-
mined to face the matter boldly and not make a direct reply
unless forced to a positive answer. “You were all present
when the prisoner was examined and heard the talk,” said he
quietly. “I told you what the man said and you heard it.”
“But did you not know that the officer you examined was
Van Campen who murdered our brothers?” they said.
“How should I know?” retorted Jones with an air of sur-
prise. “I never heard of Van Campen until after I came
among you, now going on two summers; and I told you
truly at the time the man was examined that I had never
seen him before. How should I know any better than you
who the prisoner might be ? Did any of you think to ask
the officer his name? If I had known Van Campen do you
think I would now tell and have you kill me ? Do you want
me to lie?” Pausing a moment to observe the effect of his
words Horatio proceeded to greater lengths. Straightening
up and looking the chiefs full in the face with the manner
and tone those who knew him feared he demanded, “Who
says I knew The prisoner?” Captive though he was Jones'458
THE LIFE OF HORATIO I ONES.
reputation as one not only physically able to defend himself
but also as one who never hesitated to swiftly avenge an in-
sult, now aided him greatly. His calm manner and deter-
mined attitude silenced all open expression regarding his
knowledge of the prisoner. If not entirely satisfied the In-
dians were prompt to' announce their confidence in his in-
tegrity. “Hoc-sa-go-wah speaks like a man,” said the head
chief. “His tongue is not forked; his words are full of
reason. How should he know Van Campen any better than
we ? Hah-ne-go-ate-geh * placed a spell before our eyes."
Fleet runners were sent to Caneadea and others sent on the
north-western trail with instructions to bring Van Campen
back to the Genesee. The messengers reached Niagara only
to learn that the object of their hatred was safe within the
walls of the fortress and that Col. Butler had adopted him
into his own family.
The news spread through all the Indian camps. They as-
sembled in large numbers about the fort and offered to ex-
change fourteen other white captives, then held in the Gene-
see towns, for Van Campen. Col. Butler refused the offer
and sent Van Campen to Montreal where he was exchanged.
Mohawk was too exhausted by his forced march from
the Susquehanna to the Genesee to proceed farther than the
pigeon woods. There he remained in camp several days
awaiting news from the runners sent to Niagara. Jones
talked with the chief regarding his struggle with Van Cam-
pen, obtained his version of the affair and ingratiated him-
self into Mohawk’s good graces. The tomahawk that had
borne so fearful a part in the massacre possessed a peculiar
fascination for the interpreter and as the handle was broken
he finally induced Mohawk to sell it. The weapon was of
French manufacture, had been obtained by Mohawk in the
old French war and carried through many a bloody fray.
Unlike the usual form of Indian belt axes it was of the knife
blade pattern. The top was hollow forming the bowl of a
pipe and the handle bored to serve as a stem. Jones re-
* The evil-minded spirit.THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
459
placed the handle with a new one and thereafter the noted
war ax adorned his own belt.*
X. Expeditions—The Witch of the Tonawanda.
No further reference was made to the part taken by Jones
at the examination of Van Campen and the interpreter con-
gratulated himself upon his success in evading the questions
addressed to himself; but the Indians determined to test his
sincerity in a manner wholly unexpected. To his astonish-
ment they proposed that he accompany the outgoing expedi-
tion to the Susquehanna. Horatio fully understood the rea-
son of the proposition and as he had decided to remain with
the Indians he was pleased with the opportunity to demon-
strate his loyalty to them, and what was of greater import-
ance in his view, the probable opportunity to assist such of
his countrymen as might fall into the hands of the savages.
With the concurrence of his family he promptly accepted the
proposal and joined the ranks of the war party.
The object of the expedition was to attack the forts in
Northumberland, but the story told by Van Campen about
large garrisons of soldiers, caused the leaders on the way
down to change their plans and strike farther west into' Bed-
ford County. “Jones however,” says Hon. Orlando Allen in
* Horatio Jones left it to his son, Col. William Jones, from whom
it passed to his younger brother, Charles Jones of Geneseo. It is now
owned by the Hon. William P. Letchworth, and exhibited in his mu-
seum near Portage, N. Y. In the same collection may be seen a deli-
cately-carved bone awl-handle, made by Horatio Jones while a captive.
In the museum of the Livingston County Historical Society at Geneseo
is preserved a child’s high-chair, made by Horatio Jones of the small
limbs of trees, presumably in the days of his early married life.
Tomahawk Owned in Turn by Chief Mohawk, Major VanCampen,
Capt. Horatio Jones and His Heirs. Now Owned by
Hon. Wm. P. Letchworth, Portage, N. Y.460
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
his excellent account received from the interpreter's own
lips, 4 4was not permitted to go into the settlement, but was
left at a camp several hours' march back from the point of
intended attack. In relating the circumstances in later years
Jones said he had no idea nor desire to escape, for he had be-
come so fascinated with Indian life that he wished to remain
with them. He was fond of adventure and the hope of being
of service to such prisoners as might be taken, overcame any
scruples he might otherwise have had. It was ever after a
source of gratification and a pleasing reflection to him that
he accompanied the expedition as he was undoubtedly, un-
der Providence, the means of saving the lives of some of his
former neighbors and acquaintances who were made prison-
ers and from whom he obtained the first information regard-
ing his own family that he had received during his cap-
tivity."
While the warriors informed Horatio that he would not
be permitted to enter the settlements no other restraint was
placed upon his actions. His conduct thoroughly satisfied
the Indians of his honest intentions to remain with them,
thereby advancing him greatly in public estimation. His
duties as interpreter rendered him a conspicuous figure in
the communications between the red and white man and his
influence with the prisoners induced them to yield quietly
to their fate and cause as little trouble to their captors as
possible. Appreciating this fact the savages treated the
whites with unusual leniency, permitting them considerable
liberty of action. “One prisoner who was badly wounded
failed to keep up with the party. . . . The Indians re-
peatedly threatened him and Jones as often begged them to
spare him a little longer; perhaps he might revive and be
able to proceed on the journey; but they became impatient
and annoyed at the delay the man was beginning to occasion,
and a warrior dispatched the wounded prisoner with a club,
tore off his scalp and left him where he fell. By carefully
using their strength the other prisoners accomplished the
journey and reached the Indian town on the Genesee in
safety."
Horatio had hardly recovered from the fatigue of the ex-THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.	461
pedition when Hah-do-wes-go-wah's restless disposition in-
cited him to visit relatives who had recently removed to the
Grand River in Canada.
Placing the broom against the door as usual on leaving
the habitation alone, the family set out on the journey, going
by way of Little Beard's Town and the great spring in the
present town of Caledonia, where they witnessed the torture
of a prisoner at the stake. Years afterwards1 Jones pointed
out the location of the torture stake and told how the super-
stitious natives thereafter avoided the spot believing that
the spirit of the murdered victim still haunted the locality.
Passing through Tonawanda* the family followed down the
south bank of the creek to its mouth where a canoe was
usually kept for the accommodation of travelers. The little
craft lay on the opposite side of the stream in plain sight and
Horatio offered to swim across and bring it over.
“Deh-wi-ya!" (“It is not good") his father replied, “for
witches live in the stream near its mouth, and when people
venture into its waters they are pulled under its surface and
drowned. No wise person ever attempts to swim the Tona-
wanda Creek at this point. It is better to wait until some
one comes this way and brings the canoe to us."
“That may be true of the red men," replied Horatio, “but
I was born in a nation of people who can control witches in
water. I have the secret and can swim the creek in safety
and bring the canoe back, besides you know our friends at
Fort Schlosser expect us to-night and we are all anxious to
get there."
At this point the mother interposed. “Mind your father,
my son," said she, “he is a man of years and sense and will
not counsel you wrongly. It is better to remain here in
safety than to tempt the evil spirits. Go help your brothers
gather wood for the night while your sister and I prepare
supper." Indian children are subject to their parents as
long as they remain under the parental roof, even to middle
age, and Horatio was usually obedient to the slightest com-
mand ; but he especially disliked the idea of camping on the
creek to satisfy a superstitious whim. He turned aside care-
* The old Indian village near the great bend of the Tonawanda.462
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
lessly but the sight of the canoe lying so temptingly on the
farther shore aroused his impatience. Hastily slipping off
his frock and moccasins he plunged into the water and struck
out for the opposite bank despite the warning cries and com-
mands of his family, none of whom dare follow him. To
their astonishment he reached the bank, jumped into the
canoe and with a few vigorous strokes of the paddle brought
it back to them. A person who had passed through the
greatest danger could not have been received with greater
demonstrations of pleasure than those that greeted the head-
strong young man as he stepped ashore in his dripping leg-
gins. His act of disobedience was utterly ignored and he
was welcomed as one who had escaped only by a miracle.
The preparations for camping were discontinued and the
half built fire abandoned.
Crossing in the canoe the family reached Schlosser that
evening. Hoc-sa-go-walTs wonderful feat in swimming the
witch-troubled Tonawanda was narrated to friends, the
strange story spread through the camp and the swimmer
speedily found himself regarded with increased respect.
From Schlosser the family went down the river to Fort Ni-
agara where the witch incident was already well known, and
operated to his advantage.
Notwithstanding the bitterness engendered by war and
the frightful results of employing savages to devastate the
homes of the Americans, there were many men in British
service whose efforts to mitigate the sufferings of unfor-
tunate prisoners have never been properly recognized. While
Col. Butler by the surrender of Boyd and Parker dishonored
his manhood he also, in numerous other cases, exhibited
noteworthy forbearance and generosity towards persons with
whom he might have dealt harshly. Capt. Powell, Robin-
son, Pye, Lieutenants Hillyard, Nelles and other officers at
Niagara, frequently made strenuous efforts to obtain the
release of captives in whose wretched condition they had no
interest other than that sympathy excited by the distress of a
fellow mortal. When persuasion failed to effect their benev-
olent purposes these officers did not hesitate to spend their
money to ransom prisoners whose circumstance forbade theTHE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
463
possibility of any future recompense.; they sometimes made
long journeys through the wilderness on foot to relieve de-
spairing captives.
Capt. Powell, an officer whose loyalty to the British crown
was never questioned, had interested himself in the ransom
of several prisoners and previous to the Tonawanda inci-
dent had purchased two captives whom Hah-do-wes-go-wah
had brought in from the frontier. His attention was called
to Jones, probably by Jasper Parrish through his father
Capt. Hill, and while the family was at Niagara offered to
buy the “handsome boy." Hah-do-wes-go-wah declined the
offer. After urging the matter quite persistently, Capt.
Powell displayed a handful of gold saying that his master
the King had great store of the precious coin and could buy
anything his servants wished; the warrior must state his
price and the gold would be at once paid. Meeting a more
decided refusal Capt. Powell demanded the reason. The
warrior said Hoc-sa-go-wah had been of great service, not
only to himself, but also to the entire Seneca nation. Though
young, his wisdom was superior to that of many older men
and his relatives in the clan had decided he should thereafter
sit in council with the chiefs. He then told of the Tona-
wanda feat, adding that though the power exercised over
witches by the handsome boy was a qualification no other
person possessed there was a better reason why he could not
be bought. “We believe," said he, “that Ha-we-ne-ya sent
this boy to us as a special gift for the good of the Seneca
nation, and he cannot be taken from our people until the
Great Spirit so directs. We have adopted him according to
our custom and he is considered by all our people one of my
own children. Go, tell your master the King that he is not
rich enough to buy Hoc-sa-go-wah. A Seneca will not sell
his own blood!" To prevent further discussion Hah-do-wes-
go-wah pulled his blanket over his head and strode hastily
away, leaving the generous officer astonished at the vagaries
of Indian nature.464
THE LIFE OF HORATIO I ONES.
XI. Horatio a Chief—Sarah Whitmore's Captivity.
At the organization of the league of the Iroquois the
Senecas were granted eight sachems, ranking as follows:
1.	Ga-ne-o-di-go, Handsome lake,..............Turtle	clan
2.	Sa-da-ga-o-yase, Level heavens,.............Snipe	“
3.	Ga-no-gi-e, . . . ...................... Turtle “
4.	La-geh-jo-wa, Great forehead, . '...........Hawk	“
5.	La-de-a-no-wus, Assistant,..................Bear	“
6.	Nis-ha-ne-a-nent, Falling day,..............Snipe	“
7.	Ga-no-go-e-da-we, Hair burned off, . . . Snipe	“
8.	Do-ne-ho-ga-weh, Open door,.................Wolf	“
These titular names were hereditary in five clans. When
a sachem died a successor was elected from the same clan,
his name was taken away, the name of the sachem conferred
upon him, and he was raised up by a ceremony of the great
council. The Seneca nation was termed Ho-nan-ne-ho-ont,
Doorkeeper of the league, and the eighth sachem was the.
official doorkeeper and great military commander of the
nation. The sachems as a council ruled the nation. They
were termed officially Ho-yar-na-go-war.
Subsequent to the foundation of the league there came
into prominence a class of men known as chiefs. The office
of chief was a reward of merit and died with the individual.
Each of the eight clans of the Senecas was entitled to ten
chiefs, who were elected by the members of the individual
clans. The national council raised the new chiefs to office,
and the great council of the confederacy either confirmed
the election or deposed the person.
Soon after the refusal of Hah-do-wes-go-wah to sell
Horatio, the latter was summoned before a meeting of the
members of the Hawk clan, then at Niagara, who informed
him that his relatives had elected him a chief. He was ac-
cordingly raised to the office under the name of Ta-ya-da-o-
woh-koh.*
* This is a compound word and signifies “lying across.” I think that this
was the last Indian name borne by Capt. Jones; at any rate it is thte only name
I have heard given by Indians who knew him during his last years. I conclude
it was regarded as an honored name for they conferred it upon the late Dr.THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
465
Jones was amazed at the announcement. Brought to the
wilderness a helpless captive as he had been, adopted by
force, he had received from those parents the same treat-
ment they had bestowed upon their own children. Under
their care he had passed from boyhood to manhood; though
nominally a prisoner his liberty was unrestrained and all
the Senecas looked upon him as one of themselves. This
election to a seat among the councilors was very gratifying
and confirmed his high standing among the proud Iroquois
as expressed in the new name bestowed upon him. Again
he admitted to himself that the trend of events was in ac-
cordance with his own wishes. Concealing his emotions,
he quietly thanked his friends for their action and again as-
sured them he would remain with them until it was clearly
manifested to all that it was the will of Ha-we-ne-ya that he
should leave them.
Of the captive life of Sally Whitmoyer—or Whitmore—
we have little knowledge. Upon her arrival at the Genesee
in April, 1780, she was adopted by a Seneca family whose
home was at Little Beard's Town; but like other Indian
households the members were frequently moving about
from place to place. In after days Sally mentioned their
wanderings up and down the Genesee valley and spoke
especially of their camping at the late town-site of Williams-
burg and Squakie Hill. While she endured the hardships
incident to nomadic life in common with her forest asso-
ciates she was treated not only kindly, but affectionately, by
her Indian relatives, who provided for her as for one of
themselves. Her sex precluded the possibility of distinction
and her existence was circumscribed by the simple duties
incident to an Indian girl's home life. At the age of twenty
she was a light-complexioned girl of medium height. Her
Lewis H. Morgan at his adoption at Tonawanda. General Ely S. Parker in a
letter to the writer Aug. 19, 1891, gave the name “Do-ne-ho-ga-wa,” Door-
keeper of the Seneca nation. Horatio Jones was called “To-yah-daoh-wok-go,”
which means “lying across.” Lewis Bennett, a contemporary of Horatio Jones,
gave it as “Dah-yah-daoh-woh-koh,” or “lying across.” Chester C. Lay, presi-
dent of the Seneca Nation in 1888, gave it as “Da-ha-ya-dah-woh-goh,” “A
body lying across,” as a parent holds a child in its arms, so the bearer of the
name connected the Senecas and the whites, or constituted the bond between
them.—G. H. H.466
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
hair was gathered in a heavy braid, its glossy smoothness
confined by a simple band in native fashion; her whole at-
tire was marked by a neatness so characteristic of the pio-
neer woman of her time. She had become well versed in
the Seneca tongue and her gentle manners had won the af-
fection of those within her limited circle of acquaintances.
It was a rule of native etiquette that any female who ap-
peared alone in public, thus invited attention, but no girl or
woman having an attendant, even if it were but a little child,
was ever notice^ or molested. Sarah Whitmoyer preferred
the modest retirement of her humble home and to avoid
publicity never left the house with uncovered head or with-
out a companion—generally one of her Indian relatives.
While her own brothers and sisters were becoming thor-
oughly Indianized in their Iroquois homes, and the younger
ones were forgetting their parentage and the English lan-
guage, Sarah longed for the scenes and faces familiar to
her youth. The rude life of the wilderness shared with sav-
ages was distasteful. She knew that peace would soon be
declared and she prayed that the glad day of deliverance
from captivity might be hastened.*
[Sought in marriage by a native, Sarah turned for coun-
sel to her fellow-captive, Horatio Jones. Some time before
this, it would appear, he had taken to wife an Indian woman;
she had either died, or left him, before he met Sarah Whit-
more. Jones had a son by the Seneca woman, who, in ac-
cordance with custom, remained with his mother’s clan.
One may believe that it was a stronger feeling than pity
which prompted Horatio to point out to the white girl that
her only escape from an Indian alliance was to wed him.
She assenting they were duly joined in Indian fashion, by
her acceptance of his gift, which he made larger and more
valuable than the offering of the Indian rival. When oppor-
tunity offered, they were married by a Christian ceremony,
performed by the Rev. Samuel Kirkland.]
* To avoid repetition of facts presented in Mrs. Gunn’s account of Sarah’s
captivity, Indian wooing and marriage with Horatio Jones, Mr. Harris’s narra-
tive has been considerably condensed, the bracketed sentences being supplied by
the editor to preserve continuity.THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
467
A preliminary' treaty of peace was signed at Paris No-
vember 30, 1782, but incursions upon the borders of New
York, Pennsylvania and Virginia continued until the spring
of 1783, when an agreement for the cessation of hostilities
ended the war, and the Indians, sheathing their scalping
knives, resumed their ordinary occupations. By the treaty
finally signed Sept. 3d, Great Britain acknowledged the in-
dependence of the United States and agreed that the boun-
daries of the United States, roughly stated, extended north-
ward to the Great Lakes and westward to the Mississippi;
all territory west of that river being recognized as the prop-
erty of Spain.
Notwithstanding the faithful service the Iroquois had
rendered Great Britain during the war, that power made no
provision for her red allies, leaving them to the mercies of
the conquerors. The agreement of Sir Guy Carleton at the
opening of the war, to reinstate those Indians who entered
the service of the King to their former condition, was rati-
fied by General Haldimand in 1779. With the exception
of the Oneidas, Tuscaroras and a few scattering members
of other nations, the Iroquois had espoused the British cause
and the eastern nations were exiled from their former
homes; but the Senecas, located in the wilderness, far from
the borders of civilization, still retained possession of their
own territory.
When the terms of peace were announced and the Iro-
quois learned that the British Government had made no
provision for them, the Senecas offered their exiled brethren
a tract of land in the Genesee valley; the offer was declined
and Joseph Brant visited Quebec to claim from Haldimand
the fulfillment of his promise. The General agreed to give
the Mohawks a tract at the Bay of Quinte on Lake Ontario,
but the Senecas were greatly displeased at the idea of their
friends being located so far away. At Brant's renewed so-
licitation Gen. Haldimand purchased for the British Indians
a new tract six miles wide on each side of the Grand River,
in Canada, extending from its mouth on Lake Erie to its
source, about 100 miles away. The Senecas continued468
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
quietly in occupation of their own territory, awaiting with
grave concern the action of the American Government.
By the treaty of 1783 England relinquished her claim to
all Indian lands within the limits of the United States. New
York asserted her right, ais the natural successor of the
British crown, to control the sale of all such territory within
her boundaries, and March 25, 1784, her legislature author-
ized the appointment of commissioners to take charge of all
affairs pertaining to the Indians within the borders of the
State. On Sept. 10th, the New York Commissioners met
representatives of the Six Nations at Fort Stanwix. Upon
receiving assurances that the State acknowledged their own-
ership of the soil of their territory, the Iroquois agreed to
terms of peace and promised not to sell any land in New
York without consent of the State Commissioners.
Some time in the fall of 1784 a council was called at Little
Beard's Town to consider the affairs of the Six Nations.
According to the tradition of the Jones and Whitmore fam-
ilies this council met but a short time before the captives on
the middle Genesee were released, probably in October.
Horatio Jones was by this time recognized by the Iro-
quois as a counselor of great influence in their interests; his
moral and physical courage so often tested, good sense and
perfect command of the Seneca language put him on an
equal footing with the ablest men of the council, while his
good humor made him popular with the people.
Once assured of his right to claim his wife Horatio
learned of the fears entertained by her family that she would
be taken from them; he and Sally earnestly assured them
that if released from captivity they would in time return to
the Genesee and live among their Indian friends. The
pledge was accepted in good faith and Sally continued in
her home awaiting the claim of her promised husband.
On October 22, 1784, the United States Commissioners
met the representatives of the Six Nations at Fort Stanwix,
now Rome. New York had recognized the title of the red
men to their ancient possessions within.the state, and prof-
fered the olive branch of peace; the Commissioners treated
the Iroquois as a conquered people and secured peace onTHE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
469
terms of their dictation. The Oneidas and Tuscaroras as
late allies of the Americans, were confirmed in the possession
of their respective territories. The Senecas, Mohawks, On-
ondagas and Cayugas were granted peace upon condition
that the Six Nations should yield to the United States all
claims to lands west of a line four miles east of the Niagara
River drawn from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie at Buffalo
Creek, thence south to Pennsylvania and west and south
along the border of that state to the Ohio River. All pris-
oners of war held by these natives were to be surrendered to
the United States; and six principal chiefs were retained in
custody as hostages for the delivering of the captives. It
was estimated that the Six Nations then held in captivity no
less than ninety-three persons, of whom a list was made;
and Hill, Jasper Parrish’s Indian father, and five other prin-
cipal men, were surrendered to the Commissioners as a guar-
antee of the fulfillment of the terms of the treaty. Some
captives who had come to Fort Stanwix with their red mas-
ters were immediately set at liberty, but a greater number
still remained at the towns of the Iroquois. The Indians
agreed to collect and forward them to Fort Stanwix as
speedily as possible.
When the runner reached the Genesee with particulars of
the treaty, and Horatio and Sarah understood that accord-
ing to its conditions they must soon be freed, they were much
affected by the information. From the date when Jones lay
alone in the depths of the forest and wore out the dismal
night in mental argument regarding his proper line of duty
he had given himself up to the belief that he was under the
special care of a Higher Power that directed the principal
events of his existence and impelled him to continue in cap-
tivity for the benefit of his fellow-prisoners. He had looked
forward to the close of the war as a period when he could
conscientiously be released from his moral duty, but now
that the time had actually come he found the ties binding
him to his associates greatly strengthened by his predilection
for forest life; once again he balanced in mind his inclina-
tion for freedom and the pleasures of the wilderness against
what he considered a call of duty to return to civilization.470
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
It was not, however, a matter of personal choice; the United
States demanded the surrender of all persons taken by the
Iroquois, and the latter in good faith honestly endeavored to
perform their part of the contract. There were a number of
captives who had married with the Indians, and others who
preferred to remain with their captors, but all the prisoners
were informed that the demands of the thirteen Great Fires
must be complied with.
“We know that Ha-wen-ne-ya sent you to us to be a bond
between the red men and the white men,” said the chief of
the council to Horatio, “and your mission is not yet fulfilled;
but for some purpose He now directs that you again go to
the home of your palefaced friends, and you must go. We
believe the separation will be brief and that you will again
be sent to us. Remember you are one of our children en-
titled to share with us in all things and whenever you return
a seat shall be given you where your old age may be passed
in peace.”
In December (1784) a large delegation of Senecas es-
corted the Genesee captives to Fort Stanwix and there for-
mally surrendered them to the United States authorities;
but it was not till the following May that the last formal
surrender of prisoners was made at Albany and the hostages
released. Even then some twenty or thirty captives either
remained with the Indians or returned to them after being
released. Among this number were Black Joe, John Sim-
monton, Mary Jemison, James Pemberton, Poudry, Deam-
hout, Frances Slocum and others whose names have since
passed into history.
It cannot be learned what was the immediate procedure
of Jones and his wife upon their, release at Fort Stanwix.
It is said that the Whitmore children were collected at
Schenectady. We know that Jones and Sarah were mar-
ried at that place by Rev. Samuel Kirkland, the missionary,
in 1784, and that they decided to establish a home in the
wilderness, where Jones could build up a trade in furs.
Their subsequent life has been carefully traced.THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
471
XII. The Home in the Wilderness.
Early in 1785 farewells were spoken to friends in Sche-
nectady, and shouldering his rifle, Jones went away into
the forest, closely followed by his trusty horse bearing his
wife and all their possessions. The course was westward
over the great trail leading from Albany through the Iro-
quois towns to Lake Erie. It was the intention of Horatio
to locate near the boundary of Seneca territory on the route
between the western towns and settlements of the whites,
where he could secure traffic between the Indians and the
whites. The easternmost town of the Senecas on the great
trail had been located at Kanadesaga, a mile and a half west
of Seneca Lake, and Old Smoke, the so-called King of the
Senecas, had lived there prior to the destruction of the place
by Gen. Sullivan in 1779. After Sullivan’s invasion Old
Smoke, or at any rate some Seneca families, appear to have
lived at the end of the lake; the site of the former strong-
hold was called the Old Castle, while the name Kanadesaga
was applied to all the section between the Old Castle and
the lake, though there seems to have been no town or settle-
ment of any consequence at the lake when Jones was seek-
ing a home there in 1785. The western town of the Cayugas
on the great trail was at Skoi-yase, four miles east of Seneca
Lake, and a few houses stood there when Jones reached the
place early in the spring of 1785.
The young couple decided to settle there and Horatio
built a bark house similar to those used by the Indians. It
was located on the south side of the Seneca River near the
spot now occupied by the lock at the falls. In this humble
habitation they set up housekeeping and began trade with
the Indians. At that date no other white man had estab-
lished a home in the territory now comprising Seneca
County, and the late captive interpreter thus became the
pioneer settler of a section that soon proved the doorway
through which civilization made its advance into the ancient
domain of his recent savage masters. There was a shorter
trail between Cayuga Lake and the West that struck the
Seneca River above Skoi-yase, and as many of the Indians472
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
took that route our young, trader lost chances to barter; ac-
cordingly he soon moved to the end of Seneca Lake and
built a second habitation on the east side of the outlet on the
high ground near the present road. Jones soon discovered
that he had not been wise in this location as many Indians
turned south on the trail along the western side of Seneca
Lake. How long he remained at the outlet is not known,
but probably till early spring of the following year, when he
went farther west and settled near the intersection of the
east and south trails; thus becoming the first white settler
upon the present site of Geneva.
De Bartycli and Poudry, two French traders, were lo-
cated at the Old Castle and at Cashong, a small Seneca vil-
lage south of Horatio’s new home; and the latter deter-
mined to open barter at the camps of the native hunters.
Accordingly he made long excursions into the Seneca coun-
try, leaving his young wife in their bark house with no
neighbors other than parties of Indians who occasionally
camped in the vicinity. The native friends who came from
time to time to visit Horatio and his wife met with a warm
welcome. The generous bounty bestowed upon all was ap-
preciated by some who often laid the fruits of the chase at
the cabin door; thus their larder was seldom free from
evidences of the good will of Indian friends. In this humble
home, with none other than the women of the forest to at-
tend her, Sarah’s first child was born, December 18, 1786.
He was named William, in honor of his parental grand-
father, and Whitmoyer, after his mother’s family. He is
said to have been the first child of white parentage born on
the great trail west of Utica. Horatio remembered to have
seen the wreck of an old batteau in the outlet near his former
home and he secured enough of the pitch pine boards to
make a rude cradle wherein the children of the Indians loved
to rock the little stranger as they crooned their lullabys and
peered wonderingly at the dimpled pale-face.*
* William Whitmoyer Jones, the first born of Horatio, preserved with re-
ligious care this cradle which, at the time it was made, was considered a great
improvement upon the bark or hollow log cradle of that day. For many years
it was in the possession of John H. Jones of Leicester. Its present owner is
not known to the editor of this volume.THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
473
Sitting in the firelight of their humble home one chill
evening Horatio and his wife were startled by a loud knock
at the door. The natives exercised no such formality upon
entering a dwelling and the sound suggested to the young
pioneers the presence of some person from civilization.
“Come in,” Jones called out instinctively, certain that some
young person stood without. The rude door at once swung
open, admitting a man bearing upon his shoulders a pack of
furs. Pausing a moment to give a keen glance at the occu-
pants of the room, whose faces were lighted by the flames
in the fireplace, the stranger coolly unslung his pack and ad-
dressing Jones in a pleasant voice, the accent revealing a
German origin, briefly explained that he had become lost in
t3ie wilderness and seeing a light and a house had hastened
to it in hopes of obtaining food and shelter. Jones gave
the new-comer hearty welcome and Sarah set before him a
venison steak, smoking from the embers, with corn bread
and coffee. The guest was about Horatio’s age. His face
was smooth and there was an expression in the clear eyes
and firmly-set mouth, indicating shrewdness and strength
of character, that caught the fancy of the young host. In
the conversation that followed the stranger said his name
was John Jacob Astor;* he resided in New York, was en-
gaged in the fur trade and had come to the Indian country
alone and on foot to establish a trade with the Indians. Mr.
Astor was equally impressed with the manly appearance and
intelligence of his host, soon learned the history of the young
* Mr. Harris’s authority for this account of Astor’s visit to Jones is not
known to the present editor. Most likely it is a tradition of the Jones family,
and the probabilities favor its truth. John Jacob Astor came to America in
1783, and in a few years his fur trade had so developed that he was on the
highway to wealth. From 1785 or thereabouts for several years he was often
on the Niagara, at the fort, negotiating with traders and Indians throughout the
region, and directing his own agents. In a biographical sketch of him his great-
grandson, William Waldorf Astor, has written:	“Upon reaching New York he
at once busied himself in the fur trade, to whose vast developments his thought-
ful attention had been directed by a fellow countryman and wherein immense
profits were being realized. He entered upon this occupation with unremitting
vigor and in a dozen years had diverted some of the most profitable markets
from his competitors and was at the head of a business branching to Albany,
Buffalo, Plattsburg and Detroit. . . During the first years of his life in Ameri-
ca, the development of the commercial establishment Mr. Astor was building up
called for his frequent presence among the Indian tribes with which the fur474
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
couple and shrewdly concluded that their knowledge of the
Genesee country and acquaintance with the natives would
prove a great advantage in matters of trade. Jones then
had quite a quantity of furs. Astor looked over the stock,
gave the * young trader several valuable suggestions and
bought the lot; an agreement followed that thereafter Jones
should collect for Astor alone and deliver his stock at the
Astor warehouse in New York. Jones purchased for Astor
for many years.
The following season Joseph Smith, the former Seneca
captive whom Horatio met at Little Beard’s Town, and who
had been a friend to Sarah during her captivity, came to
Seneca Lake and built a log house near that of Jones. For
awhile he assisted Horatio, but finally began trade upon his
own account; Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Smith were often alone
together for days, while their husbands were far away in
the wilderness.
XIII. The Buffalo Creek Council of July, 1788.
We will now review events that soon made the place that
Jones had selected for a residence the most noted spot in
Western New York. When the Commissioners of New
York State and the representatives of the Six Nations met
at Fort Stanwix, September 10, 1784, the latter agreed not
trade was carried on. He was obliged to be his own agent at the frontier trad-
ing stations, making agreements for the delivery of large quantities of furs;
and as his dealings multiplied, it was no less necessary to regulate the affairs of
his agencies. In later life he often spoke with enthusiasm of the incidents and
adventures of this period of his career. It is easy to place before one’s im-
agination the grandeur of the scenes he then beheld in their primeval beauty.
Through the forests of Lower Canada, of New York and Michigan, he walked,
guided by coureurs de bois, sometimes the first European explorer of their re-
cesses. He traversed the Great Lakes with a band of Ontario voyageurs, and
shot the Sault Ste. Marie in a birch canoe with a couple of Indians. He visited
encampments on the St. Lawrence and at Saginaw Bay, and beheld along the
Mohawk Valley the last Iroquois wigwams—those final vestiges of the intrepid
Six Nations. Wherever he went he dealt with the chiefs, bargaining with them
in a spirit of fairness and humanity, and forbidding his agents ever to sell
liquor to the savages. These journeys were continued through the summers of
several years and extended from the Hudson to the copper rocks of Lake
Superior.”—(Pall Mall Magazine, June, 1899.)THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
475
to sell their lands in New York without the consent of the
State. In 1785 Massachusetts, by virtue of the grant of
1620, set up a claim to the Iroquois territory in New York;
but at a convention of delegates from the two states, held at
Hartford in December, 1786, Massachusetts relinquished all
claims of sovereignty and jurisprudence within the borders
of New York upon condition that the latter state should
concede to her the right of preemption, or sole privilege of
purchasing from the native owners all lands in the State
west of a due north and south line drawn from the 82d mile-
stone on the Pennsylvania line to Lake Ontario. The new
boundary between the white and the red men was to super-
sede the line of property and be known as “The Preemptive
line.” As the purchase of Iroquois lands by individuals was
illegal and the fever of land speculation possessed many
people, two companies, known as the New York Genesee
Land Company and the Niagara Genesee Land Company,
were organized in 1787 for the purpose of leasing of the
Six Nations for a period of ninety-nine years all their coun-
try west of the old line of property. In November, 1787,
the New York company called a council of the Six Nations
at Kanadesaga and the Indians assembled on the lake shore
near Jones' house.
In their pursuit of traffic in the depths of the wilderness
Jones and Smith had little knowledge of the acts of legisla-
tures or of the motives underlying the schemes of men eager
to obtain a first title to Iroquois territory, hence when the
Hon. John Livingston, one of the most prominent men of
the day, offered to engage the. two traders as interpreters,
they deemed themselves fortunate. For their services at
this treaty each received liberal compensation and Jones a
gratuity of half a share of stock in the lessee company.*
January 8, 1788, a lease was obtained of the Oneidas for
their lands. Thereafter the companies were termed lessees.
These companies included some of the most prominent men
of New York and among the British at Niagara. In Feb-
* In that month, November, a daughter was born to Joseph Smith and wife
whom they named Mary. She married Justice Dutton, who died in Moscow in
1815. Her daughter married Dr. D. P. Bissell of Utica.—G. H. H;476
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
ruary, Livingston, who was then in the Assembly, with oth-
ers, memorialized the Legislature to recognize the leases ;
but the petition' was summarily rejected and the Governor
was empowered to use the force of the State to prevent in-
trusion or settlement upon Iroquois lands. On April ist
Massachusetts sold to a company represented by Nathaniel
Gorham and Oliver Phelps, the sole right to preempt Indian
lands in New York, on condition that the company should
extinguish the native title. Phelps was appointed general
agent, and to prevent complications opened negotiations
with the lessees, promising Livingston and others several
townships if the lessees would surrender their leases and
procure from the Senecas a deed of cession to Phelps and
Gorham. This proposition was accepted and the lessees
contracted to hold a treaty at Kanadesaga for that purpose.
On May 2d Livingston tried to compromise with New York,
but his proposition was rejected.
On June ist, Mr. Phelps, the Rev. Samuel Kirkland as
Commissioner of Massachusetts, and other gentlemen arrived
at Seneca Lake, where Horatio Jones and Smith were the
only white residents. Mr. Phelps was so pleased with the
location that he decided to found a town there if the place
fell within his purchase. The Indians refused to go to
Kanadesaga to meet Livingston, and Phelps decided to hold
a treaty on his own responsibility. Jones was sent to the
Senecas and on June 21st Red Jacket, Little Billy, Heap-of-
Dogs and three others brought to Mr. Phelps an invitation
to meet the Indians at Buffalo Creek.
The council convened at Buffalo Creek July 4, 1788,
James Dean, Joseph Smith, Horatio Jones, Wm. Johnson
and other interpreters being present. Phelps bought of the
Indians for $5,000 and an annuity “forever” of $500, a tract
of 2,600,000 acres lying mainly between Seneca Lake and
Genesee River, since known as the Phelps and Gorham Pur-
chase, giving his bond therefor to the Seneca chiefs. When
the bargain was concluded Phelps asked for a present of a
lot west of the Genesee upon which he could place a mill to
grind corn for the Indians. They objected, but finally
agreed to give him land sufficient for a mill lot. PhelpsTHE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.	477
selected a section extending from Lake Ontario twenty-five
miles southward and twelve miles west, comprising some
200,000 acres. When the Indians learned that an acre
would have been sufficient for mill purposes their amaze-
ment was indescribable.
The council closed July 8th, and the following day Dr.
Benton and Elias Gilbert of the lessees obtained the signa-
tures of the Indian chiefs to a writing abrogating their lease
to the lands of the Phelps and Gorham Purchase; but af-
firming their lease to the lands of the Six Nations east of
the preemption line yet to be established on consideration
that the State of New York ratify the contract.
These transactions were effected through the influence
and with the sanction of the accredited agents of New York
and Massachusetts, and by prominent men of the day, in
whom the Indian interpreters had unlimited confidence;
hence was it strange that Horatio Jones and Joseph Smith
deemed their own actions as interpreters as perfectly con-
sistent with their character as good citizens and their con-
nection with the lessee company as a fortunate occurrence,
destined to bring them into close relations with leading men
of the times ?
The travel of traders, settlers and white men over the
great trail was increasing and on their return from Buffalo
Creek in July, Clark Jennings, a former Iroquois captive,
built a log house on the shore of Seneca Lake, south of
Jones’, and opened a tavern. Horatio also erected a bark-
covered house of logs, and soon after Capt. Peter Bartle and
Leonard Widener settled near him. Joseph Smith lived
near Jones. In honor of the Seneca Castle, which was well
known in all the country, the former Indian captives, now
pioneers, called their little settlement Kanadesaga. William
Walker, chief of surveyors for Phelps and Gorham, arrived
at Kanadesaga with his men in August, and Col. Maxwell
began the survey of the preemption line from Pennsylvania.
It was expected that the line would run east of Kanadesaga,
in which case the new town would be established there.
In March the State had called a council of the Six Na-
tions at Fort Schuyler (old Fort Stanwix) to negotiate the478	THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
purchase of Iroquois lands east of the preemption line, and
as the last lease procured by the lessees covered those lands
the companies opposed the prospective treaty and endeav-
ored to induce the Indians not to attend. When the council
convened in September, Gov. Clinton peremptorily ordered
Livingston and Schuyler to retire forty miles from the
treaty grounds. The State then purchased the Onondaga
and Oneida lands of the Indians and Rev. Samuel Kirkland,
Dean, Schuyler, Olcott, Ryckman and others who had acted
with the lessees up to that date, withdrew from the com-
panies and entered the service of the State. Kirkland was
immediately sent to the Cayugas and Senecas to call a coun-
cil of those two nations at Albany to extinguish their claims
to lands east of the preemption line.
In October a number of men, afterwards noted pioneers
of the Genesee country, arrived at Kanadesaga, or, as it
was later called, Geneva. Among the number were William
Markham, Ransom Smith, Enos and Jared Boughton, John
H. and George Jones, the last two being brothers of Horatio.
The boys had made their way on foot from Pennsylvania
over Sullivan's old route. All the men mentioned entered
the service of Phelps and Gorham. It had been the general
expectation that the preemption line would run east of
Seneca Lake, but Maxwell's surveyors made a mistake and
ran the line through the Old Castle, one and one-half miles
west of the lake, apparently leaving the new village within
the borders of the last lease of the lessees. Walker, there-
fore, decided to build a new town and in November removed
his men and stores sixteen miles westward5 and established
the village of Canandaigua, on the outlet of Canandaigua
Lake. Jones and Smith had been on friendly terms with
Walker and John H. Jones was in his employ. In December,
Walker placed all his property in Canandaigua in the care
of Joseph Smith, and with his surveyors went East for the
winter.
The Senecas were constantly importuning Jones to re-
turn to the Genesee, and some time during the winter of
T788-'9, a delegation, of which Farmer's Brother was a
member, visited him with a formal request that he wouldTHE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
479
share their dish, in other words, would settle among them.
Captain Jones, as he was then called, gave the matter seri-
ous consideration. His trade was already affected by the
influx of white people, and the continual excitement under
which the Indians were laboring. It was evident that the
settlement of the Phelps and Gorham tract would destroy
his business.
By removing to the Genesee he would again be on the
border of civilization and in the path of Indian trade. He
decided to accept the offer of his red friends and informed
them he would_ dip his spoon in their dish as soon as he
could make proper arrangements. The delegation replied
that when he was prepared to look they would stand a
broom at his door; in other words whenever he selected a
piece of land for a home they would confirm his title.
The lessees had not given up the hope of profiting in
some manner from the lease they held of Indian lands east
of the preemption line. The Rev. Mr. Kirkland discovered
that considerable opposition to the proposed treaty existed
among the white people and the Indians appeared indif-
ferent. Col. Seth Reed and Peter Ryckman, traders at
Kanadesaga, wrote to Gov. Clinton, offering to carry the
Seneca and Cayuga Indians to Albany and his offer was
accepted; but the two men greatly overestimated their in-
fluence. To excuse their failure they wrote to Gov. Clinton
in January that “Indian interpreters Wemp, Smith and
Jones, together with what lessees were on the ground, pre-
vented the Indians from going to the treaty and kept them
so intoxicated that it was almost impossible to do business
with them.”* In the same letter Reed said he was too ill
to attend to the matter which was left to Ryckman, and
begged for some land for his services.
Ryckman reached Albany in February with thirty In-
dians and squaws, including one Seneca chief. The State
Commissioners, in accordance with the custom of the times,
furnished liquor to the Indians, and one died in beastly in-
toxication. The Indians then ceded all the Cayuga lands
to the State, and Ryckman was granted a large tract of land
Hough’s “Indian Affairs.5480	THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
on condition that he should share it with Reed. In accord-
ance with his agreement with the lessees Phelps had in-
structed Walker to survey a line of townships on the Gene-
see for them the previous fall, and following the February
treaty the three leases held by the lessees were surrendered
to the State authorities.
As soon as he could get through the snow in the spring
of 1789 Joseph Smith moved to Canandaigua and com-
menced keeping tavern in a log house near the outlet.
Walker's surveyors returned from the East and a steady
tide of travel flowed through Geneva and Canandaigua.
Horatio Jones had afforded the surveyors considerable in-
formation the previous fall and he now found his services
in demand to guide new settlers to their purchases.
The 1st of June, 1789, Horatio and John H. Jones pro-
ceeded to the present town of Phelps and planted five acres
of corn. The 10th of June they guided Enos Boughton to
the present town of Victor, which he had purchased for
twenty cents an acre. Boughton had several hired men and
they began building a cabin on Boughton Hill, while the
Jones brothers plowed and sowed to buckwheat three acres
of Indian clearing on the east side of the present road a
mile or two south of Boughton Hill. The corn in Phelps
and the buckwheat in Victor are said to have been the first
crops raised in those townships by white settlers. Horatio
and John H. then assisted Boughton's brother-in-law to
survey the township.
In June, 1789, Joseph Brant, in behalf of the Six Na-
tions, wrote to Gov. Clinton that the so-called treaty held in
February, was the work, so far as the Indians were con-
cerned, of unauthorized persons, contrary to Indian usage,
and repudiated by the Six Nations. He asked that the lands
should not be surveyed or settled until the matter was ad-
justed. The State surveyors had begun work in June and
Gov. Clinton wrote that they must not be disturbed as the
treaty was considered valid. On July 5th Capt. Harden-
bergh,* in charge of the survey, wrote the Governor that In-
dians from Buffalo had notified Reed and Ryckman to leave
* Captain, later Major, Abraham Hardenbergh.THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
481
Kanadesaga, and requested the surveyors to stop work.
Hardenbergh said: “These carryings on, I have no doubt,
are fostered by the preemption people looking forward to
the establishment of a new state. . . . The following are
heads of the active lessees, viz.:	Dr. Caleb Benton, most
influence; Joseph Smith.; John McKinstry, very active;
Benj. Allen, violent in words; Horatio Jones, an inter-
preter; Peter Bartle; Clark Jennings, subtle fellow; Robt.
Mitchell, interpreter. I think it would be well if they were
immediately apprehended. It would discourage the rest and
bring them to serious reflection/'*
July 14, 1789, Gov. Clinton commissioned Hardenbergh,
Seth Reed and George Fleming as justices of the peace; he
authorized Hardenbergh to organize a battalion of militia
and in his letter to the Major said:	“Although repeated
information has been received charging them (Benton,
McKinstry and others) with treasonable practices, yet for
want of magistrates authorized to take affidavits we are not
possessed of any legal proofs of the facts. This difficulty is
now obviated and you will be able to authenticate the
charges.”
About the 1st of July a runner reached Capt. Jones with
a speech from the Seneca chiefs who were then assembling
on the Genesee. In substance the message stated that the
voices of birds (rumors) were very strong and confusing,
that the Senecas believed it was a proper time for Horatio
to renew his relations with the nation as a chief, and they
desired him to come to the Genesee where the council would
grant him a seat upon Seneca territory. Capt. Jones, in
company with his brothers, John H. and George, immedi-
ately set out on horseback for Little Beard's Town, where
he found the council assembled. He informed the chiefs
that he had not yet decided upon a permanent seat, but
would like a place to build a hut and plant some seeds for
next year's harvest, when he expected to come to the Gene-
see. With the approval of the Indians he set his brothers
to work mowing a quantity of hay upon the flat, and promis-
* Hough’s “Indian Affairs.1482
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
ing the chiefs to meet them later at Canandaigua, he re-
turned to Geneva.
On August i, 1789, the chiefs of the Six Nations assem-
bled at Canandaigua to receive the first payment from Phelps
and Gorham. When Mr. Phelps was ready, they appointed
Horatio Jones, Jack Berry, Joseph Smith, Nicholas Rosen-
crantz and James Mathews a special committee to count the
money and appraise the goods offered by Phelps, which duty
was performed to the satisfaction of all. The Senecas then
returned Phelps’ bond and on August 4th, the chiefs of the
other Iroquois nations signed a quit claim to the territory
purchased by Phelps and Gorham.
Upon receiving authority to investigate charges, Major
Hardenbergh called a meeting of the inhabitants of Geneva,
to whom he explained the State laws and the illegal, proceed-
ings of the lessees. On September 1st he arrested Benjamin
Allen, who escaped the following day. McKinstry could
not be found and there appears to have been no mention of
Jones, Smith, Wemp and others whom Hardenbergh and
Ryckman had previously denounced. Hardenbergh wrote to
Gov. Clinton: “The Senecas we begin to learn on further
information wholly decline taking any part in the business,”
i. e., obstructing the surveyors. It is a fact that the Senecas
distinctly stated that they had long before resigned all
claims to lands east of the preemption, and had no interest
in, nor right to sell, such lands.
As Jones’ influence with the Senecas was well understood,
and Reed and Ryckman had secretly charged him with de-
taining the Senecas from State treaties, Maj. Hardenbergh’s
statement to the Governor may be considered an official refu-
tation of the charges.
In the papers and traditions of the Jones family there is
not the slightest hint that Jones or Smith ever heard of the
charges. It is undoubtedly a fact, that the alarming reports
of expected resistance to State authority emanated mainly
from persons who wished to magnify their own importance
in order to procure cessions of land from the State.
Reed and Ryckman quarreled in September, and in Oc-THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
488
tober Gov. Clinton suggested that the authority of the Legis-
lature be invoked to compel Ryckman to disgorge Reed’s
share of lands granted for the benefit of both. The legal
contest that followed between Reed and Ryckman developed
such a disgraceful state of affairs as to render the secret
accusations against Jones and Smith utterly valueless.
XIV. A New Home—With Proctor in 1791.
The location selected oy Horatio Jones for a temporary
home covered in part the site of the old Seneca Castle de-
stroyed by Gen. Sullivan in 1779.* Believing the spot un-
lucky for themselves and having strong faith in Ta-yah-
da-o-noh-ka’s power over evil spirits, the Senecas were
pleased to see him occupy the ground. No definite bounds
to the space he was to use were mentioned. When left to
themselves in July, John H. and George found a temporary
residence in a vacant Indian hut. Whetting their scythes,
the young men mowed nine acres of grass upon the flat a
little east and south of the present bridge over Little Beard’s
Creek, and but a short distance from the spot where Boyd
and Parker were tortured. The hay was turned and cocked
with forks made of crotched branches of trees, carried on
brush drags to high ground, where it was stacked and se-
cured. The haymakers then went to Geneva and later, prob-
ably in September, returned to the Genesee with grain, tools
and provisions. Having brought plow irons, they con-
structed a rude plow and with the horses they had ridden
turned over the soil of the nine acres, cut the hay, and
sowed them to wheat. The crop of grain cut from this
ground the following season is supposed to have been the
first crop of wheat raised by white settlers in the town of
Leicester. The clevis used on the plow in breaking the nine
* Arthur .Cummings owns the north side of the road, James F. Colt the
south side where Boyd’s tree stands.—G. H. H.484
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
acres was carefully preserved, and is now in the possession
of Janies W. Jones of Moscow.*
Mary Jemison's Indian mother was a blood sister of Big
Tree, or Ga-non-do-wa-nah. When she moved from Gen-i-
sha to the west side of the river, she built her cabin at the
east door of the Genesee Castle on the spot which Jones
afterwards selected for his dwelling. It was there that the
“white woman” entertained the British officers in their jour-
neys to and fro, prior to Sullivan's invasion in 1779. There
she planted seed for an orchard and to those seeds a sturdy
apple tree, now in Mr. Perkins' orchard owes its existence.
By his selection of this spot Jones was again located upon
the border of the coming civilization in the doorway of the
Indian country. After sowing the wheat, John H. and
George constructed a pole and bark shanty as a stable for
the horses, or other stock that might winter there; they
built a house, also of poles and bark, for Horatio. ^
Although we have temporarily lost sight of Mrs. Jones
in recording the events with which her husband was so
closely connected, the brave little woman had nobly sus-
tained her character as a pioneer wife and mother. Three
sons, William W., George and Hiram, had been born at
Geneva; their log house was one of the most comfortable
and cheery homes in the place. Horatio had made his se-
lection on the Genesee through Sarah's advice and they
planned for the future with the Genesee Castle location as
the center of their anticipated home life. About the 16th of
* Grandson of Horatio through William W. Jones. The exact spot fixed
upon by Capt. Jones for his dwelling is now covered by the farmhouse of John
Perkins, at the angle in, and north of the road between Cuylerville and Geneseo
nearly a mile east of the crossing of Beard’s Creek, and from sixty to eighty
rods west of the bridge over the Genesee. For some distance east of Beard’s
Creek the land is occasionally submerged by high water, but in the vicinity of
Mr. Perkins’s house the ground is more elevated and has never been under wa-
ter. In 1789, in fact as late as 1825, the river ran within eight or ten rods of
the site of Mr. Perkins’s house and the center of the channel was the divisional
line between the Phelps and Gorham tract and the lands of the Senecas. The
location is historic. In Indian days several trails crossed the river, in the vi-
cinity, especially those paths connecting old Genisha, Fall Brook and the later
Big Tree’s village east of the Genesee, with the Genesee Castle and later Little
Beard’s Town on the west side.—G. H. H.
t A lantern used by them then is now in the possession of Lucien M. Jones
of Leicester, a grandson of John II. Jones.THE LIFE OF HORATIO I ONES.
485
May, 1790, Horatio turned his back on Geneva and again
set out towards the Seneca country. First came Mrs. Jones,
then Sally Griffith, a servant, each mounted upon a horse
bearing a load of bedding.
Mrs. Jones had little Hiram tied in a shawl upon her
back in Indian style, with baby George on the cushion be-
fore her, with several articles of domestic utility dangling
at either side of the saddle horn. Sally Griffith bore William
in her arms and was also encumbered with sundry small ar-
ticles. Following them came a two-wheeled cart, driven
by Jones, containing the balance of their household pos-
sessions. The little cavalcade journeyed over the rough
road in safety until it reached the crossing of Flint Creek.
Mrs. Jones passed the ford and halted on the bank to watch
Sally, who attempted to follow; but her horse caught his
foot in the bottom and in the struggle to release it the child
was thrown into the swift-flowing stream. In an instant
the young mother dismounted, dropped her two children,
ran down the bank near the child, plunged into the water
and brought him to shore little worse for the ducking.
Proceeding on to Canandaigua the family received a
warm welcome from the family of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph
Smith, with whom they remained over night. The next
day’s journey took them to the present location of Lima.
At the present location of Avon, Horatio abandoned the
rough road over which Berry, Markham, Smith, Ganson and
other pioneers had previously passed to the Genesee, and
turning southeast picked his way along the high grounds
and open spaces of the woods very nearly over the present
line of the Avon, Geneseo & Mt. Morris Railroad. Camp-
ing one night on the journey, the family continued along
the foot hills of Geneseo, through Big Tree Indian village,
crossed the Genesee and on the 20th of May, 1790, reached
the bark house on the ground of the Old Castle.
A number of Indians, including Sarah’s relatives, wel-
comed them, and the young wife realized that she was again
on or near the ground where she had passed the greater part
of her captivity. Hospitality is the prime virtue of an In-
dian home, and understanding this, Sarah quickly arranged486
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
her kitchen utensils and prepared some tea and food for her
native visitors, who came in such numbers, that, upon their
final departure, there was hardly enough food left in the
house for the first family meal.
In the northern and western boundaries of the territory
conceded to the United States by England in 1783, roughly
stated, were the centers of the Great Lakes from the River
St. Lawrence to the head waters of the Mississippi, thence
south by the latter river to Florida. Great Britain made no
provision for her Indian allies resident within the ceded
territory, and Congress was firmly impressed with the be-
lief that the cession of the British crown absolutely vested
the United States with the fee of all Indian lands within the
borders of the new republic, and that the United States
Government possessed the right to retain or dispose of such
lands at will. The Senecas now became greatly concerned
regarding their own condition and in November, 1790, de-
cided to send a delegation to Philadelphia to learn from
President Washington himself the intentions of the Govern-
ment respecting the Six Nations. Cornplanter, Halftown,
Big Tree, New Arrow, Black Snake, Red Jacket and a son
of Cornplanter reached the capital on the 29th and on De-
cember 1st and subsequent dates, addressed the President,
saying in substance that the Senecas had given up their
lands at the treaty of 1784 through compulsion, expecting a
lasting peace with the United States, but they had been de-
ceived and cheated by Livingston, Street and Phelps; that
the latter had failed to pay what he agreed and that year,
1790, had paid nothing; that some of their people had been
murdered by lawless whites; they asked justice at the hands
of the Government, requested that mechanics and school-
teachers be sent to them and that an official interpreter be
appointed for the Seneca nation. The President replied in
conciliatory speeches, explained the various treaties and the
position assumed by the Government, declaimed his inten-
tion to do the Indians justice, promised to redress their
wrongs and send them instructors; he left the appointment
of an interpreter to the Governor of the western territory.
He warned the Six Nations not to engage in the border warTHE LIFE OF HORATIO I ONES.
487
and obtained a promise from Cornplanter and other chiefs
to assist the United States in securing peace with the hostile
tribes. The Seneca delegation lingered at Philadelphia until
February 9, 1791, and reached Pittsburg, March 17th, when
Big Tree went to the Wabash tribes and Cornplanter de-
parted for the Allegheny. The Senecas were divided in
their opinion and desires regarding the situation.
Phelps had failed to pay the promised annuity for 1790;
Farmer’s Brother, Red Jacket and other chiefs, under the
direct influence of the British officers at Niagara and Erie,
were inclined to thwart the efforts of the United States to
obtain peace with the western tribes and title to their lands,
while a majority of the inferior chiefs desired to remain in
friendly terms with the United States authorities.
ThaJ Capt. Jones was known to Gen. Washington as early
as 1790 is well established, but through what means or when
Washington first learned of him we have not been able to
ascertain. Following his removal to the Genesee Jones was
occasionally engaged in secret business for the Government;
in the summer of 1790 he was directed to carry a quantity
of specie to Buffalo Creek. The travel of drivers, traders
and settlers from the Hudson and Susquehanna rivers to the
Niagara frontier was increasing fast and a number of des-
peradoes infested these routes, plundering and murdering
those known to possess money. Jones packed the treasure
upon the back of his favorite mare Bess and indicating his
intended route and camping places, said:	“If I am killed
on the journey, hunt up the robbers; but if I am murdered
in camp, look for the money twenty rods northwest of where
I sleep.”
Arming himself with a tomahawk and stout knife he set
out upon his mission. He passed the Genesee safely and one
night camped on a bank west of a branch of Tonawanda
Creek. After securing his treasure he built a fire, ate his
supper, turned Bess loose to feed, and lay down with his
saddle for a pillow. He slept soundly for several hours
and towards morning dreamed that a little Indian came to
him, saying if he remained where he was his bones would
lie in a pile. The dream was so real Jones awoke. Bess488
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
was standing near by and seemed to be frightened; Jones
got up and searched the surrounding bushes, but finding-
nothing suspicious again lay down to slumber, when the
Indian came in a second dream with the same message.
Rousing up he observed the same uneasiness on the part of
his horse, Bess cowering before him in terror. He had often
ridiculed belief in dreams as expressed by the superstitious
natives, but now his mind was in unrest and the responsibil-
ity of his mission bore heavily upon him. • The horse was as
thoroughly trained as a dog and he knew she had seen some
object of a startling nature; probably some person prowling
in the bushes to reconnoiter his position. Quietly saddling
the mare he turned through the bushes closely followed by
Bess, to the spot where he had buried the money. In a
moment the treasure was secured in its usual place and
Jones mounted just as daylight began to appear, fie had
gone about a quarter of a mile when he heard a rustling in
the bushes close by the path. He gave Bess a touch and as
the obedient creature suddenly bounded forward a man
with a club in his hand stepped into the trail close behind
her.
“You stir early,” said the stranger.
“Yes,” Jones answered curtly, without checking the brisk
gait of his horse. A little farther on he saw a brisk fire
burning under a large kettle and a man not far off. Jones
could not divest himself of the idea that that kettle was in-
tended to cook his body to destroy his identity. He reached
his destination in safety.
A few days later John Street, who kept a trading house
at Fort Niagara, was robbed and murdered at a spring near
the Ridge Road, a mile west of Warren’s. His body was
cut into fragments and scattered about. Gale, from Goshen,
and Hammond, from the Delaware, were arrested for the
crime; Hammond turned State’s evidence, but escaped, and
Gale was discharged. The spring has since been termed
“Murderers’ Spring.”*
On March io, 1791, Col. Thomas Proctor was ordered
to visit the Wabash and Miami Indians and invite them to a
* Turner’s Holland Purchase.THE LIFE OF HORATIO I ONES.
489
treaty of peace at Fort Washington on May 5th. Leaving
Philadelphia on horseback, accompanied by Capt. M. G.
Houdin, who was to assume the mission in case the Colonel
was killed or disabled, Proctor crossed the Blue Mountains
and reached Wilksburg on the 19th.
On the 20th he reached the residence of Capt. Waterman
Baldwin, who had been a captive at Cornplanter’s town and
who was to reside there and instruct the Senecas in study
and agriculture. At Tioga Point Proctor hired an Indian
named Peter Cayantha to guide him to the Genesee River.
At Painted Post the party was joined by George Slocum,
who expected to redeem from captivity his sister Frances,
who had been a prisoner at Cornplanter’s town for twelve
years. Crossing over the divide to the Canaseraga, Proctor
arrived at the house of Ebenezer Allan, in the present village
of Mt. Morris at ten P. M., on the 30th. The following
morning Col. Proctor found himself surrounded by the
Senecas of Squakie Hill and without an interpreter.
As Allan was not at home Col. Proctor says in his of-
ficial journal: “I wrote a letter directed to Capt. Allan or
Horatio Jones and sent it by a runner by way of Connewago,
or at such a place where I could meet with either of them,
requesting that whoever received it should repair to Squakie
Hill to meet me; and should they meet any Indian chiefs or
warriors to invite them to meet me also, having business of
importance from Gen. Washington, the President of the
United States, to lay before their nation. I at the same
time dispatched two runners, one to the several sugar camps
adjacent to give them like information and the other to
Capt. Big Tree and Little Beard, who reside about seven
miles hence. By evening several warriors and chiefs had
arrived at Mr. Allan’s residence, among the latter Stump-
foot, the chief of Squakie Hill; Little Beard and Black
Chief.” “April 1st. Mr. Horatio Jones, Indian interpreter,
arrived this morning and shortly afterwards I convened the
thirty odd chiefs present into council and introduced my
message by some prefatory sentiments, touching the candor
and justice of the United States . . . and read my mes-
sage to them from the Secretary of War (asking the Senecas490
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
to accompany arid assist Col. Proctor in his efforts to secure
peace with the western tribes). They signified their full ap-
probation in their accustomed manner.” On learning that
Cornplanter had called a great council at Buffalo, Proctor
decided to go there, and several chiefs agreed to accompany
him. “I made inquiry whether it was easy to obtain a good
interpreter at Buffalo or otherwise,” continued Col. Proctor,
“and being informed there were no interpreters there except
those under British pay, I conceived it a duty incumbent on
me to engage Mr. Jones, as being a proper person for my
business from the reputation he bore from inquiries I had
made and I accordingly agreed with him in behalf of the
United States, to pay him the customary wages so long as I
should find occasion for his services.” Ebenezer Allan ar-
rived home and refused to receive any compensation for the
trouble and expense for provisions Col. Proctor’s party had
caused him. The Colonel made him presents of an amount
equalling eleven dollars.
As Proctor was starting for Buffalo, a second runner
came with news that the council fire at that place had been
covered for one moon and the Colonel decided to go to Oil
Spring, where he expected to find Cornplanter. Proceeding
by way of Nunda, Caneadea and Oil Creek the party reached
a place called Dun-e-wan-gua, at the great bend of the Al-
legheny River where, on April 6th, runners informed Col.
Proctor that a number of Virginians had killed several Dela-
ware Indians near Fort Pitt. In revenge the Indians at-
tacked a settlement above Pittsburg and killed seventeen
whites. Cornplanter, New Arrow and other chiefs, with the
commander of Venango, were coming up the river in the
garrison boat and canoes, when a company of militia over-
took them and forced the party to return, under threats of
death. Proctor engaged one of the runners as a guide and
proceeding to Cornplanter’s town found the place deserted
by chiefs and warriors, who had gone to Venango to rescue
Cornplanter.
Procuring a canoe and two young Indians to work it,
Col. Proctor, Baldwin and Jones set out for French Creek,
130 miles distant, and paddling continuously for thirtyTHE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
491
hours, reached Fort Franklin, where Cornplanter and other
chiefs informed them that the militia had taken New Arrowr
to Pittsburg and carried off all the Indian property, leaving
the Senecas utterly destitute.
Proctor used every possible argument to appease the
fears of the Indians, promised to report their situation to
the Secretary of War and have New Arrow released, called
them together in council, represented the horrors of war-
fare and entreated their aid in his mission to the Miamis.
The Indians, notwithstanding the murder of their people,
imprisonment of their sachem and the robbery of their
property, promised the desired aid, but insisted upon going
to Buffalo Creek to hold a council. Proceeding up the Al-
legheny to New Arrow's settlement, where they arrived on
the 15th, Proctor left Capt. Baldwin and Cayantha, the In-
dian guide, in company with Dominick De Barge, formerly
of Canadesaga, and James Culbertson of Genesee, who were
there trading with the Indians. There Slocum found his
long-lost sister Frances married and with an Indian fam-
ily. No persuasion could induce her to return to her white
relatives. News also came that New Arrow had been re-
leased and the stolen goods, given to Cornplanter at Phila-
delphia safely returned. Passing onward by way of Cat-
taraugus, Proctor and the Senecas reached Buffalo Creek
on the 27th, where Farmer's Brother, Red Jacket and other
Indian chiefs invited them to the council house of the
Senecas.
Horatio Jones then informed the council that Col. Proctor
came with messages from President Washington to the Six
Nations, but Red Jacket intimated that Proctor might be an
impostor, and it was agreed that his commission and papers
should be submitted to the commanding officer at Fort Erie.
The following morning Capt. Powell came as the representa-
tive of the commandant of Fort Erie, and through him
Colonel Proctor learned that the Indians were entirely under
the control of the British officers of Niagara and Erie and
that Brant had been sent with forty warriors to Detroit and
thence to the great encampment of the hostile Indians on a
mission. Proctor explained to the Indians, through Jones,492
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
the nature of his mission and the messages sent by the
United States officials to the Six Nations and the hostiles.
Red Jacket replied that the council must be adjourned to
Fort Niagara and held in the presence of the British officers.
Col. Proctor peremptorily refused to move the fire or submit
his business to the British. So the Indians sent for Col.
John Butler. Finding that the influence of the British of-
ficials rendered futile all his own efforts to secure an escort
of the Six Nations’ chiefs to the hostiles, Col. Proctor sent
a letter by Capt. Jones to Col. Gordon, commandant at Ni-
agara, requesting permission to use one of the vessels on
Lake Erie to transport him and party to the Miamis at the
upper end of the lake.
Capt. Jones assumed his Indian costume and proceeded
to Fort Niagara, where he sent Col. Proctor’s letter to Col.
Gordon. Wishing to look over the fort where he had spent
several weeks while in captivity, Jones passed hither and
thither in a leisurely manner until he was suddenly con-
fronted by a corporal and file of men who restricted his
movements to the parade ground. Receiving his package
he retraced his steps to Buffalo Creek, when Col. Proctor
learned that the British commandant chose to consider him
a private individual and refused him the use of a vessel.
The Senecas, therefore, refused to attend Proctor to the
hostiles and the mission thus unhappily ended. Proctor left
Buffalo, May 21st, and Jones returned to the Genesee, hav-
ing served as interpreter and assistant in all the contro-
versies and incidents of the mission.*
[End of the narrative as written by Mr. Harris; the fol-
lowing chapters by the editor of this volume.]
* We omit from Mr. Harris’s narrative a long account of treaty negotia-
tions with Western Indians, the organization of the Indian department, and
the operations of Harmar and St. Clair, the principal facts being elsewhere ac-
cessible.THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
493
XV. Treaties and Councils—The Jones and Parrish
Tracts in Buffalo.
During the years that followed, down almost to the time
of his death, Horatio Jones was often in Government or
other employ, as interpreter, his salary from the Government
being $400 per year. His services on many of these occa-
sions gave him an important part in negotiations of the
greatest import, between the United States Government, or
representatives of land companies, and the Indians. With-
out undertaking to rewrite the history of these treaties and
councils, all long since fully recorded, it is essential to our
narrative that some account of them be given.
Horatio Jones had served as interpreter at the treaty of
Buffalo Creek, July 8, 1788, at which the Five Nations sold
to Nathaniel Gorham and Oliver Phelps, for £2,100 and
an annuity of $500, all their lands east of the Genesee and a
small tract west of it, more than two and a half million
acres, containing what are now the counties of Ontario,
Steuben and Yates, and portions of Monroe, Livingston,
Wayne, Allegany and Schuyler. The earlier and later his-
tory of this tract is matter of familiar record, and need not
be entered upon here. It was an important step towards the
final extinction of Indian title in the Empire State, save for
the narrow bounds of a few reservations.
Two incidents of the year 1791 should be recorded at
this point. In 1791 the Senecas deeded four square miles
on the Genesee River, now the site of Mt. Morris, to Ebene-
zer Allan in trust for his two daughters, Mary and Chloe.
Horatio Jones and Jasper Parrish, with others, signed the
deed as witnesses, July 16th.* This tract, whether by over-
sight or otherwise, was not reserved in the sale to Morris.
In 1823 the Senecas made an ineffectual appeal to the Secre-
tary of War, John C. Calhoun, in behalf of Allan's heirs,
and referred to Jones and Parrish, who had served as in-
* Their signatures, with the marks of Farmer’s Brother, Little Beard and
some sixteen other chiefs and sachems, including Red Jacket, may be seen in
the Ontario County Clerk’s records at Canandaigua.494
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
terpreters at the Pickering treaty, when the original grant
was made, for substantiation of their claims.
Jones and Parrish were both with a large party of Sene-
cas, who in the summer of 1791, on their way to meet Col.
Pickering at Newtown, encamped at Norris' Landing, about
a mile south of Dresden on Seneca Lake, and there met the
famous Jemima Wilkinson, “the Universal Friend/' It is
recorded that on this occasion she preached to the Indian
multitude, through the medium of an interpreter, presumably
either Jones or Parrish ; and that the Indians were much
pleased with her discourse. David Hudson, in his history
of the “preacheress,"* adds the following: “Jemima having
seated herself beside the interpreter, who accompanied the
Indians, desired him to explain to her the language of the
speaker [an Indian]. When the Indian had ended his dis-
course, he enquired of the interpreter what the conversation
had been between him and his white sister, and on being
informed that she had requested an interpretation of his
words, he fixed his eye sternly upon her, and pointing his
finger, said in broken English, ‘Me think you are no Jesus
Christ if you don't know what poor Indian say—he know
what Indian say as well as anything,' and immediately turned
contemptuously away from her, and neither he nor any of
his party took any further notice of her." Jones met Jemima
Wilkinson at Canandaigua in 1794, but it is not recorded
that he served again as interpreter between that singularly
deluded woman and the shrewd, keen-witted Indians.
Horatio Jones bore his accustomed useful part in the
treaty held in 1793 with the Indian tribes northwest of the
Ohio, by commissioners of the United States. On February
19, 1793, President Washington, in a message to the House
of Representatives, set forth that “it has been agreed on the
part of the United States, that a treaty or conference shall
be held the ensuing season with the hostile Indians north-
west of the Ohio, in order to remove, if possible, all causes
of difference, and to establish a solid peace with them." The
President reminded Congress of their duties consequent
* “History of Jemima Wilkinson, a Preacheress of the Eighteenth Cen-
tury,” etc., Geneva, N. Y., 1821.THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
495
thereon. An act was passed appropriating a sum not to ex-
ceed $100,000 for the purposes of the treaty. The commis-
sion was finally constituted of Gen. Benjamin Lincoln, Bev-
erly Randolph and Timothy Pickering, and Sandusky was
fixed upon as the place of meeting.
The best narrative of this episode is the journal of the
tour kept by Gen. Lincoln.* The commissioners set out
from Philadelphia, April 27, 1793, and journeyed by way
of New York, Albany, the Mohawk River and south shore
of Lake Ontario, to the Niagara. Gen. Lincoln’s narrative
is graphic and picturesque, and forms a valuable addition
to the chronicles of our region. The party reached Fort
Niagara May 25th, and sojourned there, and with Gov.
Simcoe across the river, for some days. On June 4th, the
King’s birthday, the commissioners attended a levee at the
Governor’s house. Later Gen. Lincoln was the guest of
Robert Hamilton at the Landing (Queenston), visited Ni-
agara Falls, and on June nth came up Buffalo Creek to the
Seneca villages. It was at this time, apparently, that he en-
gaged Horatio Jones to accompany the expedition to the
West. There was speechmaking at the council house on
Buffalo Creek,f presents, and mutual expressions ‘ of good
will. For some days following, the commissioners were at
various points in the Niagara region, their sight-seeing and
visiting being very pleasantly recorded by Gen. Lincoln.
On July 5th, while waiting for a favorable wifid at Fort
* The Massachusetts Historical Society owns the original manuscript. It
was published in the “Collections” of that Society, 3d ser. vol. v, Boston, 1836.
t At this council on Buffalo Creek, June 11, 1793, there was present a
young British officer, Col. C. A. Pilkington, who made a sketch of the scene
at the conference. Many years later, in 1819, while stationed at Gibraltar, he
presented it to a friend, a Mr. Henry. In 1836 it came into the possession of
the Massachusetts Historical Society, which has preserved it, with Gen. Lin-
coln’s journal. So far as known it is the first picture made at what is now
Buffalo. Our reproduction, greatly reduced, shows the principal part of the
drawing. The three seated figures, left to right, are Mr. Randolph, Gen. Lin-
coln, and Mr. Pickering. Behind Pickering, standing with hand in breeches
pocket, is Gen. Israel Chapin. To the right of Randolph is the interpreter, pre-
sumably Horatio Jones; he accompanied Lincoln for the rest of the mission
and probably served him on this occasion. No other portrait of Jones is known
to the present editor. At the interpreter’s right are officers of the 24th British
Grenadiers, and an Indian orator; behind the commissioners, the Quaker dele-
gation, a negro servant and other spectators.496	THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
Erie, the commissioners were met by an Indian deputation
from “the rapids of Miami/' asking questions as to the in-
tentions of the Government. The speeches on this occasion
are preserved in Gen. Lincoln's journal, undoubtedly in the
phraseology of interpreter Jones. Another council, shared
in by Joseph Brant, followed at Navy Hall, Niagara. Let-
ters were dispatched from Niagara to President Washington
and to the Secretary of War, showing the unfavorable out-
look for the western undertaking. The commissioners and
Horatio Jones sailed from Fort Erie July 14th, and did not
reach the upper end of the lake until July 21st. They were
not permitted to visit the British garrison of Detroit, but
were entertained at the mouth of the river, eighteen miles
below. In some of the councils which followed, Simon
Girty acted as interpreter. On July 31st the commissioners
made their principal speech to the assembled tribes, and
Gen. Lincoln wrote in his journal: “This speech was read
by paragraphs, and interpreted by Mr. Jones into the Seneca
tongue, and then delivered to the oldest chief with a white
belt and with thirteen stripes of black wampum." The oc-
casion illustrates the difficulty of communication between
the Government and the tribes. The message was first
translated into Seneca by Jones, whose knowledge of the
Western dialects was apparently too slight for use. Then a
second transmutation followed through the medium of the
dubious Simon Girty, who knew the Wyandot, or of some
Western chief who could understand, more or less ade-
quately, the Seneca as spoken by Jones.* Such double inter-
pretation was by no means unusual. When one reflects upon
the change of sentiment, if not utter perversion of meaning,
likely in such twice-told messages, the marvel is, not that
treaties were sometimes inconclusive, but that they came to
any business-like conclusions at all.f
*“A lengthy reply in writing was made by the commissioners on the 31st f July],
the gist of which was that they were not authorized to fix the Ohio River as the
boundary. This was interpreted by Girty and a Mr. Jones in the Seneca tongue,
which was well understood by the Wyandot chief and by others of the deputa-
tion.^”—Butterfield's “History of the Girtysp. 277.
tThere were other interpreters at this abortive council; William Wilson
and Sylvester Ash, from Fort Pitt, as interpreters for the Delawares andTHE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
497
In the present instance, the result was far from satisfac-
tory. The Shawanese, Wyandots, Miamis and Delawares
were loth to commit themselves to peace pledges. On Au-
gust nth Gen. Lincoln wrote in his journal: “The King's
vessel, called the Chippewa, arrived from Detroit, bound to
Fort Erie. Twelve Senecas, including women and children,
and most of them sick, from the Indian council at the rapids
of the Miami, came in her. These Senecas are well known
to General Chapin; and Jones the interpreter, one of them,
an intelligent man, gave us the like information about the
proceedings of the council upon our last speech, with that
received from Hendrick's men and the Munsees and Chip-
peways; only that the four nations who inclined to continue
the war, remained obstinate when he departed from the
council." Farmer's Brother, Brant, perhaps Jones himself,
spoke eloquently for peace, but the four nations named con-
tinued to stand out. Gen. Lincoln waited for many days.
Finally, the chiefs and warriors sent word consenting to
make peace if the United States would make the Ohio the
boundary between its lands and the Indians' possessions.
This the commissioners could not do, and the negotiations
ended. Gen. Lincoln's party set sail from the mouth of the
Detroit, August 17th, and were at Fort Erie on the 21st,
whence the commissioners returned to Philadelphia, and
Horatio Jones to his home. He had shared in an occasion
which later years showed to be the last great stand of the
red man for a part of that territory which had once been
his, east of the Mississippi.
In February, 1794, a council was convened at Buffalo
Creek, its purpose being, on the part of the Federal Govern-
ment, to strengthen the Senecas in their allegiance. British
influence was still strong upon them; the British still held
Shawanese; and Mr. Dean, from the Mohawk, for the Oneidas. Jasper Par-
rish “had gone express to Philadelphia,” but may have been present for a
par.t of the time. Besides the commissioners and interpreters, there were pres-
ent Charles Storer, secretary; Gen. Chapin, Indian agent at Buffalo Creek;
Dr. McCoskry from Carlisle, as physician; William Scott, commissary; six
Quakers, Wm. Savery, John Parrish, John Elliot, Jacob Lindley, Joseph Moore
and Wm. Hartshorne; the Moravian missionary, John Heckewelder; two
British officers, sent by Gov. Simcoe, Capt. Bombary of the Regulars and Lieut.
Gibbins of the Queen’s Rangers; a cook, and several servants.498
THE LIFE OF HORATIO TONES.
Fort Niagara, and exercised no little sway over the Indians
of Western New York. The region of the Niagara and
Buffalo Creek was debatable territory; so far as the Indians
could foresee, it might yet be given over into British hands.
It is not strange, therefore, that they invited British officers
to their councils. On the occasion named Brant was the
principal speaker. Red Jacket shared in the talks, Horatio
Jones acting as his interpreter. The United States Govern-
ment distributed presents, and deferred further efforts until
the great council of Canandaigua, in the autumn of that
same year.
For the Canandaigua council, over 1600 Indians of the
various tribes assembled, the Senecas from the Allegheny
arriving at the rendezvous October 14th, under the leader-
ship of Cornplanter, accompanied by Horatio Jones as in-
terpreter. Two days later came Farmer’s Brother and his
Senecas from Buffalo Creek, and with them Jasper Parrish.
Colonel Pickering was again the United States commis-
sioner. Several graphic accounts exist of this last great
council in Western New York; subsequent assemblages sur-
passed it in historic importance, but none—except perhaps
that of ’97—equalled it in the number of Indian attendants,
nor in picturesque wildness of incident. At this, the last
general council between the Six Nations and the United
States Government, both Jones and Parrish served as in-
terpreters. By the terms finally agreed upon, November
nth, the Oneidas, Onondagas and Cayugas were confirmed
in their reservations; the boundaries of the Senecas were
established, and the four-mile strip along the Niagara from
Fort Schlosser to the mouth of Buffalo Creek was granted
to the Government, that a road might be made. Other minor
stipulations were agreed upon. Several notable speeches
were made during the long confabs by Red Jacket and
Farmer’s Brother, which as preserved to us are undoubtedly
in the language of Horatio Jones. At one point Col. Picker-
ing spoke with great heat because of the presence of Johnson
from Buffalo Creek, whom the United States commissioner
regarded as a British spy. After he was sent away and
feelings had cooled, Col. Pickering and about fifteen of theTHE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
499
chiefs dined together “by candle-light/’ “Many repartees
of the Indians, which Jones interpreted, manifested a high
turn for wit and humor.* A few days later,” wrote Savery,
one of the Quaker delegates, “Red Jacket visited us with his
wife and five children, whom he had brought to see us. . . .
Jones came to interpret. Red Jacket informed us of the
views which the Indians had in inviting us to the treaty,
which Jones confirmed, being present at the council at Buf-
falo Creek, viz., believing that the Quakers were an honest
people and friends to them, they wished them to be present,
that they might see the Indians were not deceived or im-
posed upon.”
Horatio Jones and Jasper Parrish were the interpreters at
the treaty concluded September 15, 1797, at Geneseo, at
which a contract was entered into, under the sanction of the
United States Government, between Robert Morris and the
Seneca Nation, for the sale to Morris of all the Indian lands
in New York State west of the Genesee, excepting ten reser-
vations aggregating 337 square miles.f This is known as
the treaty of Big Tree. It is said that 3,000 Indians gath-
ered for the occasion, the negotiations lasting three weeks.
Here, even more strikingly than on any previous occasion,
Horatio Jones was the medium of communication through
whom the Six Nations signified their relinquishment of their
rich domain. The principal arrangements at this treaty are
said to have been made in the unfinished house of Col.
Wadsworth, the Indians accepting $100,000, to be deposited
in the United States Bank, and paid in instalments.
Horatio Jones moved from his home at Fall Brook to the
village of Williamsburg, but in 1797 he left it for Sweet
Briar, as he named his farm, near Geneseo. The place was
afterwards known as the Jones ford, and when the road was
* “Journal of William Savery,” p. 73. Stone, in his “Life and Times of
Red Jacket,” follows Savery’s account closely, but omits the references to
Horatio Jones.
t For a full, accurate narrative of this transaction, the reader is referred
to the address by Mr. W. H. Samson of Rochester, delivered before the Liv-
ingston Co. Historical Society in 1894, and published with other matter under
the title “A History of the Treaty of Big Tree” (8vo, pp. 103), by the Liv-
ingston Co. Historical Society in 1897.500
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
surveyed across the river at that point it was called the Jones
road, and the bridge the Jones bridge. This was to be the
home of his last years; and here, after his forty years of
useful service to the United States Government, he gave his
final years to the labors and pleasures of farm life, continu-
ing active to the last.*
In this same year Horatio Jones officiated in the execution
of a contract whereby the Seneca Nation confirmed to Mary
Jemison her title in the tract on the Genesee, where, for
many years, she made her home.
The Senecas wished to give to Horatio Jones and Jasper
Parrish a substantial proof of their friendship and good will.
This motive brought them together at Geneseo in the year
of 1798. The occasion proved to be of lasting importance in
the history of Buffalo. The principal speech at this council
was made by Farmer’s Brother. As interpreted, signed by
the chiefs present and submitted to the Legislature for ap-
proval, it ran as follows:
“Brothers :	As you are once more assembled in council
for the purpose of doing honor to yourselves and justice to
your country, we, your brothers, the sachems, chiefs and
warriors of the Seneca Nation, request you to open your ears
and give attention to our voice and wishes.
“You will recollect the late contest between you and your
father, the great King of England. This contest threw the
inhabitants of this whole islandf into a great tumult and
commotion, like a raging whirlwind which tears up the trees,
and tosses to and fro the leaves, so that no one knows from
whence they come, or when they will fall. This whirlwind
was so directed by the Great Spirit above, as to throw into
* Williamsburg, projected as a village south of Geneseo, no longer exists.
The Sweet Briar farm where Capt, Jones ended his days is about three miles
south of Geneseo, on the east side of the river, and is now (1903) owned
by Mr. George Austin. Horatio Jones’s old house is still standing and in
good repair; a well-built two-story frame farmhouse, with a fine portico on.
the west or river side, and another on the south, the latter apparently a later
construction. Some of the outbuildings date from Capt. Jones’s time, and
several of the fine old trees under which the Captain used to greet his Seneca
friends, are still standing.
t The Indians universally considered this country an island.THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
501
our arms two of your infant children, Jasper Parrish and
Horatio Jones. We adopted them into our families, and
made them our children. We loved them and nourished
them. They lived with us many years. At length the Great
Spirit spoke to the whirlwind and it was still. A clear and
uninterrupted sky appeared. The path of peace was opened,
and the chain of friendship was once more made bright,
Then these, our adopted children, left us to seek their re-
lations ; we wished them to remain among us, and promised,
if they would return and live in our country, to give each of
them a seat of land for them and their children to sit down
upon. They, have returned and have, for several years past,
been serviceable to us as interpreters. We still feel our
hearts beat with affection for them, and now wish to fulfil
the promise we made them, and reward them for their serv-
ices.
“We have, therefore, made up our minds to give them a
seat of two square miles of land, lying on the outlet of Lake
Erie, about three miles below Black Rock, beginning at the
mouth of a creek known by the name of Scoy-gu-quoy-des
Creek, running one mile from the River Niagara up said
creek, thence northerly as the river runs two miles, thence
westerly one mile to the river, thence up the river as the
river runs, two miles, to the place of beginning, so as to con-
tain two square miles.
“Brothers:	We have now made known to you our
minds. We expect and earnestly request that you will per-
mit our friends to receive this our gift, and will make the
same good to them, according to the laws and customs of
our nation.
“Why should you hesitate to make our minds easy with
regard to this our request? To you it is but a little thing;
and have you not complied with the request and confirmed
the gifts of our brothers the Oneidas, the Onondagas and
Cayugas to their interpreters ? And shall we ask and not be
heard? We send you this our speech, to which we expect
your answer before breaking up our great council fire.”
This speech has been much admired, and deserves to be,
for its strength of metaphor. But more than that, it adds502
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
to the annals of Buffalo as signal an. instance as may be
found in all history, of the high-mindedness and rectitude
of the red man. The Senecas, at any rate, were glad to re-
ward faithful service, and their spokesman on this occasion
was one of the noblest specimens of his race.
The tract, or rather tracts, of land which the Legislature
confirmed to the interpreters in accordance with the wish
of the Senecas, have borne the names of Jones and Parrish
from that day to this. They were laid out by the Surveyor
General of the State in 1803, and form the irregular north-
western comer of the city. Both tracts are part of the Mile
Strip, the Parrish tract being the southerly one, its south
line following the Scajaquada, and its north line running
from the Niagara, just above the mouth of Cornelius Creek,
to near the west end of Race Street. Uniformly, on modern
maps, and usually in land descriptions and title searches, the
name is printed “Parish,” but wrongly so, as numerous auto-
graph signatures of Jasper Parrish prove. In 1824 Parrish
sold a strip across the northerly side of his grant, 172.46
acres, to William A. Bird, and this has since been known as
the Bird larm.
The Jones tract extends from the northerly line of the
Parrish tract, running back one mile from the river, to what
is now the southeast side of Riverside Park, along Esser
Avenue, and intersecting lands between Doyle and Wiley
avenues. The irregular extension of the city limits, north-
westerly from the Jones tract, is bounded by a continuation
of the northwest line of Riverside Park to an intersection
with the easterly line of the Mile Strip. This old State re-
serve—the Mile Strip—is responsible for many peculiarities
in the map of Buffalo.
In this year of 1798 Horatio Jones was witness of an in-
cident that illustrates the summary character of frontier jus-
tice. It is told in the words of Judge Augustus Porter:
“A Mr. Jenkins who went out for the proprietors, John
Swift and others, to survey township 12, 2d range (Pal-
myra), commenced his labors early in the season, and erected
for the accommodation of his party a small hut of poles.
One night when the party were asleep two Indians attackedTHE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
503
them, first firing their rifles through the open cracks of the
hut, and then rushing in. One of Jenkins’s men was killed
by the first fire, but Jenkins and his party after a brief
struggle succeeded in driving the savages off, without fur-
ther loss. He went the next morning to Geneva where he
learned that the Indian party to which they probably be-
longed had gone south. He accordingly, in company with
others, followed in pursuit as far as Newtown (now Elmira)
on the Chemung River, near which place the murderers were
captured. Newtown was then the principal, indeed the only,
settlement in that region of country. The Indians were ex-
amined before an informal assembly, and the proof being in
their opinion sufficient to establish their guilt, the question
arose as to how they should be disposed of. The gaol of
the county (then Montgomery) was at Johnstown, and it
was not deemed practicable to transport them so great a
distance through an Indian wilderness. It was therefore
determined summarily to execute them, and this determina-
tion was carried into immediate effect, an account of which
I received from Jasper Parrish and Horatio Jones (after-
ward Indian agents), who were eye-witnesses of the execu-
tion.”* It is not unlikely that Jones and Parrish were in-
cluded in the party of pursuit for the sake of their services
as interpreters.
In 1802 Horatio Jones, with Oliver Phelps and Isaac
Bronson bought from the Senecas for $1200 the tract con-
taining two square miles, or 1280 acres, known as Little
Beard’s reservation, “bounded,” in the terms of the treaty,
“on the east by the Genesee River and Little Beard’s Creek,
on the south and west by other lands of said parties of the
second part, and on the north by Big Tree reservation.” At
this treaty, held at Buffalo Creek, and signed June 30, 1802,
Jasper Parrish was the sole interpreter, Jones, as one of the
parties to the contract, naturally not acting in his accus-
tomed capacity. At the same gathering, however, and on
the same date, he did serve as interpreter in a treaty between
the Seneca Nation and Joseph Ellicott, representing Wilhelm
* Unpublished MS. narrative by Augustus Porter, in the possession of the
Buffalo Historical Society.504
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
Willink and his company of Dutch land speculators at Am-
sterdam, by which a tract a mile wide along the south shore
of Lake Erie, from the mouth of Eighteen Mile Creek to the
Cattaraugus, and another tract on the south side of Cat-
taraugus Creek, were exchanged for lands lying to the north
of the Cattaraugus, and now embraced in the Cattaraugus
reservation.
Strange to say, Horatio Jones was not prominent on the
frontier in the War of 1812, and his name rarely occurs in
the history of that period. True, his home was not on the
border in those troublous times, and he was no longer a
young man. But he gave two sons to the cause; their story
adds still another tragic episode to our chronicle. James
and George Jones, serving under Major Bennett were cap-
tured with others, by the British and their Mohawk allies,
near Lewiston, on December 19, 1813. The invaders, under
Col. Murray, had landed at Five Mile Meadows, 500 strong,
and at once entered upon that memorable march of destruc-
tion which laid waste the American frontier and culminated
in the burning of Buffalo. On attempting a division of spoil
at Lewiston, the Indian warriors quarreled, worked them-
selves into a frenzy, and soon, beyond all restraint by the
British, fell upon their prisoners. Here, within sight of the
spot where Horatio Jones had come out upon the crest of
the mountain ridge on his memorable journey to Niagara,
his two manly sons met the fate their father had so often
narrowly escaped. They were put to death by the toma-
hawk, their bodies scalped and maltreated by the infuriated
Mohawks.*
XVI. Anecdotes—Death of Horatio Jones.
From the restoration of peace in Western New York un-
til the end of his life Horatio Jones lived in comfort, though
frequently called from home to serve as interpreter. He
was welcomed wherever he went. At his own home he was
* Some account of this massacre is contained in Turner’s “Holland Pur-
chase,” p. 590.THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
505
ever a cordial host, to his Indian friends as well as to his
white neighbors. There are many family traditions of these
visits. Old Judy, and her husband, Tom Cayuga, a relative
of the Jemisons, were warm friends of Horatio Jones, and
often camped at Sweet Briar. But no friend had a warmer
welcome than Moses Van Campen. Once a year the veteran
came to visit Capt. Jones, and once a year the Captain jour-
neyed to Dansville to see Van Campen. It is told that “the
two old friends would sit down on the steps of the old Eagle
tavern, drink grog and recall reminiscences of their early
forest life, while crowds of friends gathered round to
listen.”*
Capt. Jones was intimately acquainted with James Wads-
worth, and on occasion was of great service to him. It was
at James Wadsworth’s, at Geneseo, in 1815, that Jones once
more met his old adversary Sharp Shins. The occasion was
a visit to the Wadsworth brothers of Col. Wadsworth of
Durham. In his honor a dinner was given by James Wads-
worth, several chiefs being invited. Apparently the old ani-
mosities between Jones and Sharp Shins were outgrown, for
together at the Wadsworth board they discussed old times
and smoked the pipe of peace. Some time in the ’20’s Hora-
tio Jones fell on the stone steps of the Wadsworth office,
displacing both kneecaps. He walked with a cane ever after.
Horatio Jones numbered among his friends William H.
C. Hosmer, the distinguished poet of the Genesee valley,
whose “Yonnondio” and other poems dealing with the life
and legends of the Senecas are of enduring worth. For
some of his material, as Dr. Hosmer acknowledges in the
notes to his collected “Poetical Works” (New York, 1854),
he wras indebted to Capt. Jones. “I was informed by Captain
Jones,” he writes, “that the wild glen at Fall Brook, near
Geneseo, has been the scene of a tragic story, and that the
place is haunted, after night-fall, by a frightful headless
spectre. The Indians believe that it is a spot accursed ; but
* MS. memorandum among Mr. Harris’s papers. H. C. Sedgwick of Dans-
ville, N. Y., has described his emotions as a boy on seeing Captain Horatio
Jones and Major Moses Van Campen riding together in a carriage heading a
Fourth of July parade.506
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
the tourist looks with delight upon a scene where beauty
contends for mastery with the sublime.” Again he says, in
his notes to the “Legends of the Senecas”: “I have adopted,
as the ground-work of my poem, the narrative of Captain
Jones, late Indian interpreter, and a man who towered in in-
tellectual stature above common men, as the pines (to use
an Indian metaphor) rise above the smaller trees of the
forest.” Other acknowledgments are made in Dr. Hosmer’s
volume which show how deeply he was indebted to Horatio
Jones for his material; for the narratives of Indian legend,
and for guidance in the precise use of Seneca words. In-
deed one may say that although not a man of the pen, Hora-
tio Jones was truly—and indispensably—a joint author with
Hosmer. Without his knowledge and painstaking communi-
cation of it to the poet the literature of Western New York,
in its record of aboriginal life and beliefs, would be much
the poorer.
The Hon. Charles Augustus Murray traveled in America
in 1834-36, was the guest of Gen. Wadsworth, and met
Horatio Jones, apparently in May, 1836. Of this visit he
writes as follows: “During my stay in this neighborhood I
went once or twice to see a western veteran, named Captain
Jones. He was at the time of my visit, aged probably a little
more than seventy years, and was taken prisoner when a
boy by a band of the Seneca tribe in their attack upon
Wyoming, [!] where he and his parents then lived. He was
adopted by the tribe, and lived with them upwards of
twenty years; since which time he has been in constant in-
tercourse with them, and has acted in the capacity of inter-
preter in many treaties and ‘talks.’ Of course he speaks
their language, and knows all their habits as well as a native
Seneca, and he can also speak and understand a good deal
of the Mohawk, Oneida, and other Six Nation languages. I
had several long conversations with him upon aboriginal
character, customs, etc:, and I found that the old man was
at heart more than half Indian. He spoke of many of the
red men with an affection quite fraternal, and his general
impression of their qualities was much more favorable than
that which I received during my residence among them;THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
507
but two things must be remembered, first, his own judgment
was liable to be prejudiced by his being so long identified
with the Senecas, that even now the pride of the tribe is
strongly to be remarked in his expressions; and, secondly,
1 have every reason to believe, from all my later inquiries
and observations, that, of all the great tribes uncontaminated
by civilization (alias whiskey), the most mischievous, treach-
erous, and savage are my old friends the Pawnees. Captain
Jones told me that they had that character among all the In-
dians whom he had known.”* Murray is said to have re-
ceived from Horatio Jones the information regarding In-
dian customs, etc., which he utilized in his tale “The Prairie
Bird.”
That Horatio Jones personally met George Washington
can hardly be doubted, though no documentary evidence is
known. He is said to have dined with the President on one
occasion, in company with Tall Chief and a considerable
deputation. In due course Tall Chief kindled the peace pipe
and passed it to Washington, who tried unsuccessfully to
draw smoke through the long stem. It was then handed to
Horatio Jones, who succeeded better, and who then returned
it to Washington, this time for a successful whiff. It may
have been for this same occasion, apparently in the year
1792, that Capt. Jones and Joseph Smith had conducted to
Philadelphia a party of Seneca, Oneida and Onondaga
chiefs, for conference with the Government. It was at this
convocation that the Chief Big Tree died from excessive
eating.
Some years afterward Jones was in Washington with
Pollard, Thomas Jemison and other natives. Jones said to
Pollard, “I outran you, I think, some years ago,” referring
to the famous race of his youth. “Oh, yes,” replied Pollard,
“but I have often wanted to try it over again and you were
never quite ready,” a reply which greatly amused Jones.
* “Travels in North America . . . including a Summer Residence with
the Pawnee tribe of Indians,” etc., 2 vols. London, 1839; vol. ii., pp. 358-9.
It was characteristic of the British tourist, good observer though he was, to
compare the scraps of information picked up by himself in a summer excursion
on the plains, with Horatio Jones’s fifty years of experience, and to describe
the veteran’s views as “prejudiced”!508
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
Both men were then long past their fleet-footed years. Pol-
lard died in 1838.
Many are the anecdotes told of Horatio Jones in his re-
lations to various celebrities, both red and white. For many
years, as intermediary between the two races, he was con-
stantly in demand, not only in affairs of national conse-
quence, but smaller matters as well. No white man knew
Red Jacket better than did Horatio Jones. It is related that
on one occasion in Buffalo, Red Jacket was wanted, on busi-
ness with the Government agent, but could not be found.
“Horatio Jones, who was to act as interpreter, after a long
search, found him in a low tavern quite drunk. The porter,
who was about shutting up the house for the night, was pre-
paring to put him out of doors when Jones interposed/'*
Jones cared for the tottering orator on many an occasion.
Although knowing him in his weakness, Jones appreciated
to the full the eloquence of Red Jacket. Indeed, from his
familiarity with the Seneca tongue Horatio Jones could ap-
preciate it, probably better than any other white man who
ever heard him speak. Jones bore frequent testimony to this
effect.; On one occasion at Canandaigua Red Jacket was
acting as counsel for an Indian who had killed a white man.
I11 his appeal to the jury—through the interpretation of
Horatio Jones—Red Jacket proved so eloquent that he won
the sympathy of all auditors, including jury and judge, and
gained his case. Captain Jones, although fluent in English,
declared that it was utterly impossible for him to preserve
the full force and beauty of the great Seneca orator’s utter-
ances.
Red Jacket, it is said, adopted Jones as his son. Stone
in his life of Red Jacket relates the following: “On a cer-
tain occasion, owing to the slanderous imputation of some
mischief makers of his nation, Red Jacket entertained a sus-
picion that Jones was actuated by motives of self-interest
and did not regard the welfare of the Indians. Shortly after
he met Capt. Jones at the hotel of Timothy Hosmer at Avon.
Jones advanced to greet the chief with his accustomed cor-
diality of manner, but. was received with haughty distrust
* Doty, “History of Livingston County,” p. 105.THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
509
and coldness. After a lapse of a few moments, during which
time the questions of Jones were answered in monosyllables,
the Captain asked an explanation of Red Jacket for his con-
duct. Fixing his searching glance upon him as if reading
the secrets of his soul, Red Jacket told him of the rumor
circulated in reference to his fidelity to the Indians, and con-
cluded by saying with a saddened expression, 'And have
you at last deserted us ?’ The look, the tone, the attitude of
the orator were so touching, so1 despairing, that Jones,
though made of stern material, wept like a child, at the same
time refuting the calumny in the most energetic terms. Con-
vinced that Jones was still true, the chief, forgetful of the
stoicism of his race, mingled his tears with his, and em-
bracing him with the cordiality of old, the parties renewed
old friendship with a social glass.” It is a pretty tale, but
somewhat of a tax on credulity.
"Red Jacket did not relish being trifled with. At one of
his visits to the house of Captain Jones, on taking his seat
at the breakfast table with the rest of the family, Mrs. Jones,
knowing his extreme fondness for sugar, mischievously pre-
pared his coffee without it. On discovering the cheat the
chief looked at the Captain with an offended expression,
and thus rebuked him:	'My son/ stirring his cup with
energy, 'do you allow your squaw thus to trifle with your
father ?’ Perceiving at the same time by the giggling of the
children that they had entered into the joke, he continued,
'And do you allow your children to make sport of their
chief?’ Jones and his wife apologized and the latter handed
him the sugar bowl, which he took, and with half angry sar-
casm filled his cup to the brim with sugar.”
In September, 1822, we find Captain Jones at the Indian
council at Buffalo; and the following year, again sharing
with Jasper Parrish the duties of interpreter, Horatio Jones
was present, at Moscow, Livingston County, when the Sene-
cas sold the Gardeau reservation to John Greig andi Henry
B. Gibson, 17,928 acres, for $4286.
The influence which Horatio Jones exerted among the
Senecas was never more strikingly illustrated than in the
fall of 1794, when, with Cornplanter, Red Jacket, Tall Chief510
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
and a large following, he was on his way to the Canandaigua
council. On the trail at the foot of Honeoye Lake stood the
large log house, where lived Capt. Peter Pitts, his wife and
ten children. A party of warriors surrounded this house and
demanded liquor. Being refused by the women, the Indians
were beginning an attack which would probably have ended
in the dire old way had not Capt. Pitts, his sons and hired
men appeared on the scene, and seizing shovels, clubs, and
anything they could lay hands on, set up a sturdy defense.
, The melee was general, and the whites would have been
overpowered by superior numbers had not Horatio Jones
with some of the chief men of the Senecas come over the
western slope of the valley and on hearing the cries devined
the trouble and hastened to the spot. It is related that on
seeing Jones Capt. Pitts begged him for assistance; and that
in a few moments Jones gained the attention of the crazy
leaders, who desisted from their attack and left the pioneer’s
family unharmed. Before leaving the place Jones shamed
and joked the warriors into good humor, and what had bid
fair to be a tragedy was turned by the interpreter into a
friendly parting.
There is a story of one encounter in which Jones was
vanquished, though by a white man. In the spring of ‘ 1793
two guides, Bennett' and Patterson, brought through to
Williamsburg a party of colonists. The guides came upon
a Seneca encampment, the Indians being gathered about a
fire, engaged in a fierce discussion. As the day was cold,
the guides drew near, were welcomed, and allowed to warm
themselves, while the Indians continued their excited talk
among themselves, directing their remarks to one of their
number, whom they presently seized and threw into the fire.
The fellow scrambled out, whereupon the Indians caught
him and threw him back in again. Patterson had no idea
what the trouble was about, but exclaimed, “Don’t bum the
man alive!” and springing forward helped the victim out of
the fire. The angry warriors attacked Patterson, but at this
moment Horatio Jones, who appears to have been of their
party, came upon the scene and was told of the stranger’s
interference. Thereupon Jones and Patterson fell to fight-THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
511
ing; and tradition has it that for the first time in his life
Jones met more than his match, and came off much the
worse for the engagement; “but afterwards learning the
cause of Patterson’s action he banished all ill-will and re-
gret, ever after expressing his admiration of the sturdy
hunter.”*
Jacob G. Roberts of Tecumseh, Mich., has related that
his father Peter and uncle John Roberts came to the Gene-
see flats and settled near Horatio Jones, in June, 1798. Jones
helped them to locate and build their house. “About this
time the Indians in the vicinity held a pow-wow and dance.
In the tribe was one squaw who had committed some mis-
deed contrary to Indian rules, consequently she was not per-
mitted to join in their sport. They had whiskey and a high
time, and the squaw not being permitted to join in their fes-
tivities became so enraged that she shortly afterwards set
fire to the flats; the weather during the fall having been very
dry the fire spread rapidly and did serious damage, destroy-
ing all the hay in that vicinity. Mr. Jones in trying to' save
his ponies and other stock, became surrounded by fire and
in order to save himself selected the greenest spot con-
venient, dropped on his face, and the wave of fire passed
over doing him but little injury. Mr. Jones having the
handling of moneys and paying off the Indians, kept back
$91, and paid the same to the new-comers in silver for the
loss of their hay. This so enraged the Indians at this squaw
that they drove a stake in the ground, tied her tO' it, piled
wood around her, set it on fire and burned her to death.
They invited our people to go and see her burn, but they did
not go.’ f
In his later years Horatio Jones was often called on to
interpret in court in cases involving Indian prisoners or wit-
nesses. One such famous case occurred in 1831, when one
Quaw-wa, known in English as James Brewer, was wanted
on a charge of murder. It was Capt. Jones and Jellis Clute
* McMaster gives the story in his “History of Steuben County,” adding
that many years later Jones and Patterson happened to be in Bath on the same
day, when Jones told the story of the fight and sent his compliments to the old
hunter.
t Doty’s “History of Livingston County.”512
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
who made the formal complaint; Jones became bail for him
after the offender had been found on the Buffalo reserva-
tion, and acted as sworn interpreter at.the trial, at Geneseo.*
Jasper Parrish died one month before Jones. When his
death was reported, Capt. Jones said mournfully that the last
link which had bound him to his old-time Indian associations
was broken, and that he would not long outlast his old
friend. From that time he sank rapidly until his death.
Horatio Jones died at Sweet Briar farm, near Geneseo,
September 18, 1836, aged 72 years and 9 months. Five days
later the Livingston Republican contained a sketch of his
career, in which occurs the following just tribute:
“Possessed of uncommon mental vigor and quick percep-
tion, he was enabled to form a just estimate of character and
determine with readiness the springs of human action and
thus made himself useful to the early settlers of the valley
as well as to the Indians. His bravery, physical energy and
decision gave him great control over the Indians, and the
perfect confidence they reposed in him afforded him the op-
portunity of rendering invaluable aid to the General Govern-
ment in our subsequent treaties with the northern and west-
ern tribes. This confidence was never betrayed. ... In
the full possession of his mental faculties until the last mo-
ment of his life, he has gone down to his grave full of years
and with a character above reproach.” He* is buried in
Temple Hill Cemetery, Geneseo, where a monument bears a
simple inscription to his memory, and also to Elizabeth, his
last wife, who died March 4, 1844, aged 66 years.f
Horatio Jones is described as a fine figure of a man; not
* Doty gives the history of this case at some length in his “History of
Livingston County,” pp. 125-127.
t His grave stone at Geneseo, New York, bears the following inscriptions:
“Horatio Jones, Died August 18, 1836, aged 72 years and 9 months.” On
another side:	“H. J. Esq. Honored in life, lamented in death.”
“The patriot whose dust endears this spot,
In boyhood for a bleeding country fought,
Thus early in the cause of truth embarked,
By kind ennobling deeds his life was marked.
Age could not dim the sunshine of his breast—
Beloved the most by those who knew him best.
Such men have hearts for tablets when the bust,
Triumphal arch and obelisk are dust.”THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
513
tall, but exceptionally sturdy and athletic. In his later years,
although weighing some 220 pounds, he continued of a fine
commanding presence, with a manner of dignified cordiality.
In a letter , to Mr. Harris, Mrs. Charles C. Fitzhugh, a
daughter of Horatio Jones, has written : “My father’s face
and his manner, in conversation, are as vivid in my memory
as though yesterday we were together. He related his ad-
ventures, both in Indian and our own language, with the
greatest ease. He must have had a wonderful flow of lan-
guage for a person in those early days and one also who
had lived the life that he had. As a child I recollect trotting
after him as he was showing an Indian (and a very respect-
able looking one, too,) about his house. I said, 'Why,
father, do you like him better than other Indians ?’■ His
answer was: "My dear, he is my father; it was his family
in which I was adopted when a prisoner.’ ‘Well, where is
your mother ?’ ‘She is dead.’ This made a great impression
upon me. I do not know where he came from; it must have
been from a distance. It was the only time I ever saw him
and his visit was short. He and Red Jacket were the only
Indians my father ever received at his table.”
The Hon. B. F. Angel, in conversation with Mr. Harris
at Geneseo, September 20, 1889, related the following :
“The first time I saw Horatio Jones was about 1831, at
the trial of an Indian named Quaw-wa, who had killed a
reputed witch. I was a boy then, attending school, with lit-
tle interest in such matters, but I recall that Capt. Jones
acted as interpreter, and that his remarks kept the court and
audience in good humor. When the trial was ended Quaw-
wa asked of Jones in broken English, ‘Who beat—who
beat?’ I subsequently became intimately acquainted with
him and married his daughter. The Indians gave him 3000
acres in the Genesee valley, extending nearly to Moscow.
He has told me that the house he built at Hermitage was the
first substantial house in the Genesee valley, and he removed
it, or some portions of it, to Sweet Briar, his last home-
stead.
“Horatio Jones died intestate, and left property valued at514
THE LIFE OF HORATIO JONES.
$100,000. I was appointed administrator, and the estate was
settled amicably by his children/7*
[Genealogical data will be found on subsequent pages.]
Note. Some use has been made in the foregoing narrative of documents
preserved with the Pickering papers, in the archives of the Massachusetts His-
torical Society. Much more might be gleaned from them, did space allow, re-
garding Horatio Jones and some of the transactions in which he shared. In a
letter dated “Genesee River, Oct. 24, 1790,” from William Ewing to Col.
Wilson, Commissioner for Pennsylvania, in relation to the Senecas, the writer
refers to Horatio Jones as “the only interpreter who can do the business write
in this country,” and adds that Jones “thinks he has not been well used by
not being called on to do the business at Tyoga as he has had all the trouble
in getting the indians to start and I am fearful he will not prevent the indians
of doing damage to us at this place.” There is a letter of the same date, writ-
ten to Col. Pickering from Geneseo, in which Capt. Jones makes claim for
payment for his trouble in notifying the Senecas of the treaty at Tioga. It is
signed “Horatio Jones,” but it is pretty certain that at that date Jones could
neither read nor write. Numerous letters from him to Col. Pickering were
presumably written for him by William Ewing. Late in life Jones learned at
least to write his name, his signature, however, suggesting the schoolboy’s
scrawl.
The Pickering papers show that Col. Pickering lacked confidence in Jones,
in his treaty transactions. He calls the interpreter “an unprincipled fellow,”
and charges that Jones and Smith conspired to detain the Indians at Geneseo,
and keep them from attending Pickering’s treaty; “one great object with
them,” wrote Pickering, “was to supply the Indians with provisions at their
own prices as long as they should choose to obtain them at the expense of the
United States. For this purpose they wrote to me that the Indians desired
such supplies, but as this contradicted the verbal message of the chiefs sent to
me by the runners, I paid no regard to the letters of Jones and Ewing.” The
present editor has found no evidence that Jones ever thus profited by his great
influence among the Senecas.
Among the Pickering papers are also numerous letters from Jasper Parrish,
some of them of considerable historical value. These, and other unused ma-
terial relating to the life and times of this interesting history-maker of Western
New York, may be presented to our readers in a subsequent volume of these
Publications.
* Much of Mr. Harris’s account of Horatio Jones’s captivity and events of
his early life is based on information communicated by Mr; Angel.SARAH WHITMORE’S CAPTIVITY
IN 1782, HER LIFE AMONG THE MOHAWKS AND
SENECAS, MARRIAGE TO HORATIO JONES,
AND SUBSEQUENT HISTORY.
By MRS. SARAH E. GUNN,
Of Leavenworth, Kas., great-granddaughter* of Sarah
Whitmore and Horatio Jones.
The story of the life of Sarah Whitmore Jones is a ro-
mantic one, while lacking many essential details of fact.
She was born in or about the year 1768, in Lancaster ‘Co..
Pennsylvania. Her descent may be traced to those Palatine
emigrants who came to America from Germany and ad-
jacent provinces in large numbers, during the early part of
the eighteenth century. The “Witmers,” as the name is
given in Rupp’s “List of 30,000 Names,” came from Switzer-
land, canton of Zurich. There were three brothers who
came in 1733, to Philadelphia, and were of the Dutch Re-
formed faith. Peter Witmer was the ancestor of Sarah
Whitmoyer, or in more modern form, Whitmore. The name
became anglicized in the printed tax lists; from which
source we learn that they became a numerous and prosperous
family which extended over three counties of Pennsylvania
—Lebanon, Lancaster and Chester.
* In the note on page 441 Mrs. Gunn is erroneously referred to as Sarah
Whitmore Jones’s granddaughter. It should read “great-granddaughter.”
5i5516
SARAH WHITMORES CAPTIVITY.
Early spring days in Eastern Pennsylvania are often ac-
companied by a sudden, light fall of snow, called a “sugar
snow,” because this is the perfect condition for making
maple sugar. The “sugar bush,” as the whole group of
maple trees set apart to be tapped, is called, is usually some
distance from the house. On this account, during the period
of sugar-making, a camp is formed at the bush for greater
convenience. The process of sugar-making requires both
the men and women of the family; the former attend to col-
lecting the sap from the trees which is then conveyed to the
large kettles over the fires, where the women watch the boil-
ing mass until it is ready for “sugaring off.”
One of these spring mornings of 1782,* the older mem-
bers of the Whitmore family, consisting of the parents and
three eldest children, started for the sugar bush, leaving
Sally, a girl of about fifteen years, to mind the younger
brothers and the baby, and to cook dinner. We can imagine
the picture: the bright sunlight streaming into the room,
the light-hearted girl singing at her work, the noisy little
boys at play, while the baby slumbered in its cradle.
But the reverse of the picture is in sharp contrast. The
children’s' merriment was cut short by the Indian war-
whoop. Hideous in war-paint the savages rushed in and
seized the two boys, while Sally caught up the baby, as if
she could protect it from harm. The buildings were plun-
dered and set on fire while the captive children were placed
on horses in front of an Indian as guard. The smoke of the
fire was the signal of the disaster to the other members of
the family at the sugar bush, who hid themselves .until the
marauders had passed by. In all such cases, rescue was im-
possible, resulting only in greater loss of life.
The band of Indians which destroyed the Whitmore
home, were only a fragment of a large party who were rav-
aging the country under Brant. An avenging party of
whites were close in pursuit of them, so that they were in
haste to rejoin the larger force and make their escape into
*The reader will notice discrepancies with Mr. Harris’s account, preceding;
in data relating to the Whitmores, Mrs. Gunn is probably correct, following the
records of her family.SARAH WHITMORES CAPTIVITY.
517
New York. To this fact, no doubt, the rest of the Whitmore
family owed their escape.
As the party hurried along the baby in Sally's arms began
to cry from fright. The Indian who had them in charge
struck it harshly, which only increased its cries. Becoming
enraged, he seized the child, and swinging the helpless little
body arouna his head, brained it on a tree. Sally tried to
save the baby, but was given to understand that a similar
fate awaited the others if they did not submit quietly. The
Indians made rapid progress and soon reached the boundary
of New York.
A council was held and the fates of the white captives de-
cided upon. The two young Whitmore boys were purchased
by members of the British army. They were adopted into
the family of a British officer and reared in Canada. After
they were men with families, they revisited Pennsylvania to
meet their relatives, but always returned to Canada. They
have left many descendants, who are loyal subjects of the
King.
Sally Whitmore remained with the Mohawks, the tribe
which had taken her captive. The council decided to save
her for adoption and marriage among themselves, a custom
frequently occurring with a favorite captive.
This seemed a hard fate to the young girl, torn from
home and friends, and separated, probably forever, from the
little brothers who had been her companions in suffering.
The outlook seemed hopeless, for already a stalwart chief of
the tribe sought her for a mate. She was permitted to tem-
porize, but knew that if she finally refused their terms, it
meant death.
About this time occurred the assembly of all the tribes at
what was known as the “Pigeon Roost." Near the shores
of Seneca Lake was the rendezvous of thousands upon thou-
sands of pigeons at mating and nesting time. For this rea-
son, annually, the Indians assembled here for days and
weeks together. The young birds were fat and juicy, and
were devoured in large numbers; while the squaws smoked
and cured great quantities of them for future use. Conse-518	SARAH WHITMORES CAPTIVITY.
quently, with the Indians, the “Pigeon Roost” was synony-
mous of a feast and dance, and especially of a council.
The tribe having Sally Whitmore a captive, came with
the others. Here she heard of the white captive of the Sene-
cas, who by adoption and long captivity among them had
become a chief, and admitted to their councils. We do not
know that she knew that he was Horatio Jones, for while
his capture had been made near her own home, it is not cer-
tain that the families were acquainted; besides, his own
people had long mourned him as dead. Anyway, she re-
solved to appeal to him as a white man, sure to sympathize
with one of his own race, and get his advice on what course
to pursue. Sally was able to see him very soon and lay her
case before him. She told him how averse she was to mar-
riage with an Indian, and besought him to aid her evade it.
Horatio Jones knew how difficult was the task set him,
but he did not dishearten her, but told her he would think
it over and tell her the result on the next day. Doubtless
his heart already suggested the plan his tongue had not ut-
tered. Sally Whitmore, with her girlish figure and the clear
olive skin, dark eyes and gentle voice of her people, must
have been very pleasing in his sight. At their next meeting
Sally was told that there was but one way to save her from
the Indian marriage, and at the same time conform to their
customs. Horatio had himself been forced to submit to such
conditions and had done so to save his life, and tried to make
the best of it, had gained their confidence and now had some
influence. During the preceding year his Indian wife had
died, and his lodge was empty. He would soon be expected
to make a second choice; so if the plan suited her, he would
ask her adopted parents for her in the usual manner among
the Indians and he believed on account of his acquired stand-
ing with the Senecas his proposals would be accepted. In
this way the girl would be under his protection,n absolutely,
and if they succeeded in gaining their release at some future
time, the tie would be in no way binding upon them.
Sally was, of course, glad to accede to this plan and it
was carried out. The Mohawk lover was vanquished by the
favorite chief of the Senecas.SARAH WHITMORE’S CAPTIVITY.
519
Their captivity did not last long afterward, as the treaty
of Fort Stanwix released all prisoners; but the temporary
arrangement agreed upon by them as captives, seems to have
resulted favorably, for Horatio Jones and Sarah Whitmore
were married by the celebrated missionary minister, Rev.
Samuel Kirkland at Schenectady, in December [1784].
After a short visit to the old home in Pennsylvania, we
learn of Mrs. Jones returning to New York, where her hus-
band had established a trading post. Her first home was at
Seneca Falls; from this point they moved to Geneva, where
the first baby—“little Billyh—was born in December, 1786.
Mrs. Jones enjoyed the distinction of being the only white
woman in that whole region and her baby with the sandy
hair and blue eyes, the first white child born in the State west
of Utica. Another boy, George, was born at Geneva in June,
1788.
In 1789, at the earnest request of the Senecas, the family
came overland,* through the unbroken forest, to the Genesee
country, where they were to make a new home. Here, close
to the Genesee River, on a portion of a large tract of land
given to her husband by the Seneca Indians, Mrs. Jones
went to housekeeping again. She had brought with her
Sally Griffith, a servant girl, and the two women soon suc-
ceeded in making a home, with the bedding and whatever
else could be brought from Geneva, over the trail, on horse-
back. Social needs were not great at that time, as the only
guests were likely to be the Indian women from Little
Beard’s Town, nearby—if we except the trappers and friends
of her husband.
In December, 1789, Hiram Jones, her third child, was
born in the new house; and now, indeed, the mother’s time
was occupied. Much of the time her husband was away on
business, as he had been appointed interpreter for the Sene-
cas by the Government. At such times Mrs, Jones and her
family were the only white people for miles. But she was
never afraid, because the Indians held them as relatives, ac-
cording to their rite of adoption, and no harm would come
from that source.
James Jones, the fourth boy, was born in March of 1791.520
SARAH WHITMORE’S CAPTIVITY.
He was the only one of the children who resembled his
mother, inheriting from her his dark hair and eyes and a
dark complexion.
Sally Griffiths seems to have returned to Pennsylvania
about this time; and but a few weeks later, the life of the
brave little mother came to a close, surrounded only by the
Indian women. Even her husband was absent from home,
on some urgent business, to which she had insisted he should
attend. The news of his loss was conveyed to him, as he
sprang from his horse beside the lonely little home in the
forest.
The funeral which followed was as impressive as it was
sad. Hiram Jones was but three years old at his mother’s
death, but the memory of the event remained clear upon his
mind when an old man. The body was borne ahead on the
shoulders of stalwart Indians; the little boy wrapped in a
blanket by the squaw who held him before her on the horse,
cried dismally, he scarcely knew why. The father and two
other children followed on foot. The rain came down stead-
ily and the tall gloomy trees surrounded them. Along the
narrow trail through the silent forest the little procession
made its way to the banks of the Genesee, which was crossed,
then on again a little farther, where the grave was made in
the side of a grassy knoll—facing her former home, left des-
olate. Here, laid to rest by the hands of her red brothers,
Sarah Whitmore Jones has slept for more than a century.*
When the demands of official and social life required of
Horatio Jones a more pretentious residence than the little
home on the Flats, he selected a site on the summit of the
hill, overlooking the grave of his wife, and named the place
“Sweet Briar,” where he spent the rest of his life.
Even after the lapse of so many years, we may still find
traces of the tender reverence borne for the memory of Sarah
Whitmore. A. daughter of her husband’s second marriage
bore her name, and the only daughter of each of her two sur-
viving sons was named for their mother.
Note. The name of the daughter of William Jones was afterward changed
to Julia, for reasons which she herself explained to the writer.
* Mrs. Jones died in June, 1792. Charles Jones stated to Mr. Harris that
she was buried in the Indian burying-ground, “where the railroad gravel-pit
now is, on the south side of the creek.” No trace of it now can be found.NOTES ON THE
ANCESTRY AND DESCENDANTS OF
HORATIO JONES *
I. ANCESTRY.
Rev. Malachi Jones, founder of the Abingston and Downington
branches of the Jones family of Pennsylvania, was born in Wales
about 1651. He entered the ministry at an early age, and is re-
ported to have been at one time established in London, though there
is little proof of this. He married Mary ----------- about 1681-2.
Benjamin, their first child, was born in March, 1683; Ann, in
1686; Mary, in 1688; Elizabeth, Martha, Malachi and Joshua
doubtless prior to 1700, but the exact dates of their births have not
been found.
During the first decade of the 18th century large numbers of
Welsh left their native land for America and settled mainly in
Pennsylvania. Among the new colonists were several families
named Jones. Doubtless some were relatives of the Rev. Malachi
and possibly through their influence and other outgoing friends, he
was persuaded, about 1714, to emigrate to Pennsylvania, settling
at Abington, fourteen miles north of Philadelphia. In September,
1714, Mr. Jones was received into fellowship by the Presbytery of
Philadelphia, which had then been organized eight years and num-
bered eleven ministers. During that year a church organization
was perfected at Abington with Rev. Malachi Jones as pastor. The
First Presbyterian Church, or Great Valley Church, was organized
in 1714, and the Rev. Malachi Jones officiated as pastor till 1720.
This church is about twenty miles, in an air line, from Abington,
and Mr. Jones no doubt officiated in both congregations.
August 25, 1719, Rev. Mr. Jones deeded to certain trustees for
ten shillings in silver, one half acre of land to “build a house of
worship thereon and bury the dead.” On this ground the congre-
* Compiled from MSS. left by George H. Harris, and from data supplied
by Mrs. Sarah J. E. Gunn of Leavenworth, Kas., Mrs. Frederick Law Olm-
sted, Brookline, Mass., and Mrs. Anna Jones Prettyman Howland of Chicago.
521522
HORATIO JONES GENEALOGY.
gation erected a log building, said to have been the first place of
public worship possessed by the Presbyterian denomination within
the limits of Montgomery County.
The Rev. Malachi Jones was buried in the graveyard of the
church he founded and his tombstone, a large flat slab supported
upon four pieces of brick, is still to be seen there bearing the fol-
lowing inscription:
Here lyes the Body of
The Rev'd Mr. Malachi Jones
Who departed this life March ye
26 In the year 1729.
Aetalis Suae 78.
He was the first minister of this place
Dum Nihi Vita Fuit, Tibi
Christi Fidilis ut is Sum.
At the foot of the stone is the grave of the Rev. Mr. Jones's
granddaughter Mary; also that of her husband, the Rev. Richard
Treat, the second pastor of Abington Church, who died November
29, 1779, after a ministry of nearly fifty years.
Of the children of the Rev. Malachi Jones, Benjamin married
Katharine Crusan, October 12, 1717. They had ten children, as
follows:	Malachi, 1718; Elizabeth, 1721; Samuel, 1722; Benja-
min, 1725; Mary, 1727; Joshua, 1732; Henry, 1734; Katherine,
1736; John, 1739; Ann, 1741.
Benjamin Jones died at Abington November 10, 1748. Ann
married the Rev. David Evans and died January 7, 1754. Mary
married Abenego Thomas and had six children.	(Her eldest
daughter, Mary, was the wife of Rev. Richard Treat, and had five
children.) Joshua married Hannah Givin, September 6, 1735;
Elizabeth married David Parry, January 6, 1727; Martha married
John Parry, November 5, 1729; Malachi, 2nd, married Mary Parry,
November 27, 1729.
Malachi Jones, son of the Rev. Malachi and Mary Jones, was
born probably about 1695, in Wales, and emigrated with his parents
to America prior to September, 1714. He married, November 27,
1729, Mary Parry, daughter of James and Ann Parry, the marriage
of whose children brought the Jones and Parry families into, close
relationship, three of their children having married three children
of the Rev. Malachi and Mary Jones. James and Ann Parry came
from Wales probably as early as 1712, as a deed of 100 acres of land
in Fredyffrin, Stony Valley Township, Pennsylvania, their home,
was dated January 20, 1713.
Malachi, 2nd, succeeded his father in possession of the home-
stead in Abington, where his aged mother continued to reside. InHORATIO JONES GENEALOGY.
523
June, 1747, he purchased a lot on Fourth Street, Philadelphia. He
removed about 1753 to Whiteland Township, Chester County, and
died the next year. His will, dated August 12, 1753, appoints his
wife Mary, executrix and directs her to “dispose of all my estate
to the use that therefrom she may cheerfully maintain my weak and
feeble children . . . eldest son Horatio to be joint executor . . .
all my children, Horasho, Esther, Martha, Malachi, Ruth, Stephen*
William, Lynand and Abenego.”
William, the seventh child of Malachi (2nd) and Mary Parry
Jones, was born about 1741-2, while his parents resided at the old
homestead in Abington. He married in 1762 Elizabeth Hunter,
daughter of John and Ann Hunter of Downington, Pa., and they
became residents of Downington about that time. They had seven
children, viz.: Horatio Jones, the eldest, born November 19, 1763;
George; Esther; Ann; Mary; John Hunter; William.
About 1769 William Jones moved to Baltimore Co., Maryland,
where John H. was born. He returned to Pennsylvania about
1771-2 and settled in Bedford County.
John Hunter, Sen., was born in County York, England, in 1667.
He was a trooper with his friend Anthony Wayne at the battle of
the Boyne, and settled at Rathween, County of Wicklow, Ireland.
He married Margrate-------------, about 1693. In 1722, Mr. Hunter
and Anthony Wayne emigrated to the Pennsylvania Colony and
settled in what is now Newtown Township, Bucks Co., Pennsyl-
vania, where Mr. Hunter purchased 1,000 acres of land. He died
in 1734, being buried at St. David’s Church, Radnor, Pennsylvania.
John and Margrate Hunter had nine children, viz.:	George
Hunter, who settled in Whiteland Township, Chester County, Penn-
sylvania, and became proprietor of a large estate; John Hunter
(2d) ; Peter, a soldier in the French War; William, married Han-
nah Woodward in 1740; James; Mary, married William Hill, an
emigrant from Wales; Ann; Elizabeth; Margrate (2d).
John Hunter, Jr., son of John and Margrate Hunter; settled at
Downington in Whiteland Township, Pennsylvania, thirty miles
from Philadelphia, and accumulated a large amount of real and per-
sonal property. He married Ann --------------, and had eight chil-
dren, namely:	James, died in 1781; Margrate, married William
Buell; Ann, married Col. Thomas Buell; Mary, married Eli524
HORATIO JONES GENEALOGY.
Bently; John, died young; Martha, married John Ratlen; Hannah,
married Malachi Jones (3rd), in 1759; Elizabeth, married William
Jones, in 1762.
II. DESCENDANTS OF HORATIO JONES AND SARAH
WHITMORE.
Captain Horatio Jones married (1st) in 1784, Sarah Whit-
more (name also spelled Whittemore, Whitmoyer), who died June,
1792. They had four children:
(1)	William W., born December 18, 1786, at Seneca Lake out-
let, near the present site of Geneva, died, 1870, at Leicester. He
was twice married; first to Eliza (or Elizabeth) Lemen; after her
death, to Nancy Harrington.
(2)	George W., born 1788; unmarried, killed by Indians at
Lewiston, December, 1813.
(3)	Hiram W., born 1789; married Verona Shepherd.
(4)	James W., born 1791; unmarried, killed by Indians at
Lewiston, December, 1813.
I. Descendants of William W. Jones.
Children of Horatio’s oldest son William W., by his first wife,
Eliza Lemen:	1, Julia, married John H. Jones, Jr.; 2, George W.,
unmarried; 3, James W., married, died young, leaving one daugh-
ter.
Children of Julia and John H. Jones, Jr.: 1, Elizabeth, married
James W. Jones (son of Hiram), no issue; 2, Edward, died an in-
fant; 3, Delia, died an infant; 4, Edward, died an infant; 5, Delia,
died unmarried, 1901; 6, Jane, died young; 7, Alma, died young.
Children of Horatio’s oldest son William W., by his second
wife, Nancy Harrington:
William, married Caroline Camp, no issue; Elizabeth, married
Edward Camp, one son, one daughter; Flora; Nancy, married
Jellis Clute, their children Fayette and George; ‘Homer, married
Fannie Wicker; later married Josephine De Rochemont, no issue;
Mary, married Albert Phillips, one daughter.
II. Descendants of Hiram W. Jones and Verona Shepherd.
George W., married Emma Hutton; Sarah E., married Alex-
ander Clute (grandson of John H. Jones, Sr.) ; James W., married
Elizabeth L. Jones (daughter of John H. Jones, Jr.), no issue;
Hiram, died young.HORATIO JONES GENEALOGY.
525
Children of George W. and Emma Hutton:	Edward, unmar-
ried; Grace, married George Hudson; Mary, unmarried.
Children of Sarah E. Jones and Alexander Clute:	James H.,
married Almira Glines; Charles O. S., married Marion Brown;
Sarah J. E., married Chester B. Gunn, no issue.
Children of James H. and Almira Clute:	William; Charles;
Ella, married, one son; Elizabeth.
Children of Charles O. S. and Marion (Brown) Clute: Charles
Benjamin; Frederick; Grace; Myrtle; James.
William W. Jones (i) died in the winter of 1870 at Leicester,
N. Y.
III. DESCENDANTS OF HORATIO JONES AND ELIZA-
BETH STARR.
Captain Horatio Jones married (2) in the summer of 1795 at
Groveland, near Geneseo, N. Y., Elizabeth Starr. She was a
daughter of Elijah and Rebecca (Hewitt) Starr, and was born in
1779, probably at Genoa, Cayuga Co., N. Y. She died March 4,
1844,	at Geneseo, N. Y. She bore to Horatio Jones twelve children,
as follows:
Horatio, born' 1796, married Julia Wilmerding; Mary Ann,
born 1798, married Richard Fitzhugh; John, born 1799, married
Lucy Tromley; Ann, born 1802, married William Lyman; Rebecca,
born 1804, married Elijah Hewitt (also spelled “Hughett”) ; Eliza-
beth, born 1805, married William Finley; Sarah, born 1807, married
Dr. Henry Perkins; Hester, born 1809, married Robert Flint;
Julia, born 1811, married Benjamin F. Angel; Seneca, born 1813,
died in California after 1854; Charles, born 1815; Jane, born 1820,
married Charles Carroll Fitzhugh.
Horatio, and Mary Ann Lyman lived at Moscow, N. Y.; Re-
becca Hewitt at Geneseo; Betsy Finley at Ann Arbor, Mich.;
Hester Flint, wife of Judge Robert Flint, at Fond du Lac, Wis.;
Julia Angell at jGeneseo, N. Y.; Charles, at Leicester and Geneseo;
Jane Fitzhugh, at Saginaw, Mich.
Charles Jones, youngest but one of Horatio Jones’s sixteen chil-
dren, was born August 27, 1815, at Sweet Briar farm, near Geneseo.
He went to Temple Hill Seminary, 1826, Canandaigua Academy,
1830-32, and engaged in farming at Leicester, 1840. October 22,
1845,	he married Eliza Richmond of Aurora, Cayuga Co. She died
December, 1849, leaving one daughter who died January 1, 1869,
aged 13 years. On June 3, 1856, Charles married Sarah E. Cum-
mings of New Bedford, Mass. Charles died February 26, 1899.526
HORATIO JONES GENEALOGY.
A grandson of Capt. Horatio Jones, named Horatio Jones
Hewitt, died in New York City, date not ascertained, but since
1889. He was born November 25, 1828, in Greece, N. Y.; learned
the printer’s trade, went to Chicago, where he became one of the
founders of the Chicago Tribune and a stockholder in the company.
He married Margaret Lovett of Rochester; left Chicago in 1857,
went to New York and engaged in printing. He invented a rotary
press and other devices valuable in the printer’s art. Up to 1889
he was in business at No. 27 Rose Street, residing at No. 247 W.
Twenty-fifth Street. He was a personal friend of Horace Greeley.
He left a widow and six adult children, two sons and four daugh-
ters.
A granddaughter of Horatio and Elizabeth (Starr) Jones, and
daughter of Sarah and Henry Perkins, is Mrs. Frederick Law
Olmsted of Brookline, Mass., wife of the eminent landscape archi-
tect and park maker, lately deceased.
IV. DESCENDANTS OF JUDGE JOHN H. JONES.
John H. Jones was a younger brother of Captain Horatio Jones.
He came from Pennsylvania—one account says in 1792, another
says 1794—and settled on a part of the Jones and Smith tract, on
the west side of the Genesee. He was for many years the first
judge of Genesee County when that county extended from the
Genesee River to Lake Erie and the Niagara; a man of distin-
guished ability. He married Kate Ewing; their children were:
William, George H., .Harriet (Mrs. Clute), Marietta (Mrs. Jones),
Horatio, Thomas J., Napoleon B., John H., James M., Lucien B.,
Hiram, Elizabeth Hunter (Mrs. Jones), and Fayette.