Governor Hamilton to Papunehan, October 12, 1761 - 6
Since we so firmly concluded and made Peace with the Indians, our innocent
Inhabitants thinking no danger, & depending on your good faith so solemnly plighted to us.
have been seized in their houses barberously murdered, & their little innocent childrens brains
bashed out before them. This has been frequenty perpetrated & our brother John Curtis
can tell you that within these ten days some of these barbarous Indians have been down
& killed upwards of twenty of our people near Bethlehem. These actions have enraged & provok’d
my People greatly, & in revenge some of them have gone into the Indian Country to take their
satisfaction, and as I do not know where they are gone, I cannot be under apprehensions,
least in their great anger they will not be able to distinguish between those who are our
friends, & those who are our Enemies. And if any such thing should happen, you must
blame those Indians who have so unjustly struck us, as people who have been so much hurt
cannot be restrained from taking revenge.
Brother,
As we cannot answer for those enraged ungovernable People in their attempts to
revenge the blood of their fathers, brothers & children, we are not without apprehensions
of danger to you, tho we should do all in our power to prevent it, and would therefore now be
glad to hear from yourselves in what manner you think that can be best done, & for that
purpose now send a white Man James Irwin with our brother John Curtis as far as
Fort Allen at which place he shall remain sixteen days in expectation of receiving your
answer to that point, and also receive any other message you may have to send to us. A String.
Brother
We thank you for acquainting us that there hath been a great council held with
the Indian Nations living at Onohoquago, Chenango, Chesnut & Onegy consisting of
Oneidas Tuscarores Delawares, Munseys Nanticokes Conoys, Onondagoes, Mohickans
Caiughas & Shawanese, & that they desire you by a message to inform me that the
occassion of that Council was from Sir William Johnson sending belts to you to desire
a conference with you, & that they would in the meantime remain as they had done
before our steady & hearty friends. That they had determined to do so & had sent deputies
[?] William to tell him so, & that they further desired we might be acquainted with
this their Resolution & that they would likewise on their Return form Sir William
Johnson acquaint us what had passed between him & them.
Brother,
We desire you by this belt to return them our hearty thanks for what they have
done which we very much approve of & take it as a real mark of their friendship for us.
We shall impatiently wait to know the result of this conference, & desire they would let us
Know it as soon as they can by some safe hand on whom they can depend to deliver it.
[Transcribed by Jordan Henderson]
