Letter from Matthaus Hehl to the Church Leadership, December 29, 1763 - 1
My very dearest Hearts, Through certain circumstances we are compelled to send this express to you all to inform you of certain occurrences in this area.
From the proclamation of the governor issued as a result of this case, you will have learned what happened to the Indians on the 13th or 14th of this month in Manor Land near Lancaster, namely that on that day a party of armed men, mostly Irish from Paxtown, came to Lancaster in front of Mr. Shippen’s house and announced that they wanted to kill all the Indians who were on Manor Land. He, Mr. Shippen, advised them against this, but could not prevent it. They did as said, attacked the Indian town, murdering whoever was there. But there were only 6 people at home there, it is said, and one boy [said] to have run away. They set fire to the cabins over the dead bodies. After that the murderers then came through Lancaster again in great victory with their signs of victory, the scalps, as the people laughed.
The authorities immediately took on the matter, gathering the remaining scattered Indians together under their protection and secured them, 14 persons in all, for the time being, till now in the prison in Lancaster. After that the sheriff immediately informed the Government, from which the above mentioned Proclamation resulted.
Now, in the evening of the day before yesterday, a constable and a solder were at the home of Br. Horn over night and they brought the first report of that which I want to relate. Yesterday, Br. Ebermann was here, who related it as an eye-witness. Since now the whole neighborhood resounds with it, namely that the day before yesterday, the 27th, about 3 o’clock in the afternoon, a party of armed riders came toward the city,
[Translated by Roy Ledbetter]
