"An Interesting Early History of Decatur County"by Mrs. O.N. Kellogg |
| Chapter Seven EARLY SETTLERS IN THE DISPUTED TRACT-A HERMIT-INDIAN BURYING GROUND- FREAK OF ELECTRICITY-FIRST DEATH AMONG THE SETTLERS OF '48-INDIAN TRAGEDY |
| In 1840 came Reuben and Benjamin Hatfield, George Wood, and Stephen
Leveridge and settled in what is now Hamilton township. The same year
Wyllis Dickinson came and bought land on Grand River. He is a
Connectical man, and in the lapse of years he has been distinguished as
a hermit, though from his genial expression of countenance and
gentlemanly bearing we infer that he has not quarreled with society, but
rather than subject himself to the vicissitudes which it was his
privilege to avoid, he contented himself with the companionship of
books. The orthography of his first name indicates it to be a family
name, and runs back as he thinks, to old colonial days, but has never
investigated the subject. The log house which he built in 1840 has
sheltered him ever since. The broad fireplace and little square windows
carry one back to days gone by. He has felt great interest in an Indian
mound which he discovered, and at one time thought to buy the land and
build upon it but the trees gave evidence of such frightful visits from
the skies in the form of electricity that he concluded to set up his
domicile at a respectful distance. He has human bones in his house take
from this mound and supposes it to have been an Indian burying place
centuries ago, as the Indians of the present day know nothing about it. The lightning being so familiar is a mystery to him, but it is evidently a spot on earth that attracts him and having abundant leisure, and a calm, thoughtful mind, he has observed peculiarities that would escape the generality of ramblers in the woods. This circumstance he related to us. A large oak was struck and all the body of the tree splintered all to pieces, some of the splinters so large that it would require the strength of three or four men to lift them from the ground. The stump was left intact about twelve feet high and the top also seemed not to have been in the least agitated by the tremendous forces of nature which had operated in wrenching out and scattering the middle of the body in every direction, so swiftly, skillfully, and quietly that it dropped straight down by the side of the stump and stood there erect and proud, as if nothing had happened. A tragical scene occurred at Terre Haute in the west part of the County in 1849, of which the following account was given me by Allen Scott. Two young men named Faulkner kept a trading house there and one day an Indian, whose brain crazed by liquor, came to the door, and finding it barred against him, placed his butcher knife through, opened it, and entering, made a thrust at the proprietor who seized a neck-yoke and felled him to the floor, when Alex, his brother, beat him with a maul. He was a young brave, the son of a chief, and, dreading the vengeance of the Indians, the Faulkners made their escape into Grundy County, Mo. And their father and brother-in-law came to look after their effects. The Indians immediately took them into custody and were about to shoot them on the spot, but they appeased them by promising that the Faulkners should be brought the next day and given up to them. They, however, never made their appearance. Old Dr. Thompson of Trenton, Mo., had been sent for immediately after the terrible encounter, but the distance being about sixty miles mortification had set in before he arrived. He pronounced the skull broken and said he could not live. Life for life is the unalterable law of the Indians, but as the guilty had escaped and the fury of their revenge had for the time being restrained from falling upon the innocent, the chief and Mr. Faulkner sent an urgent request to Mr. Scott to come, he being an old friend of the Indians, and see if anything could be done to settle it. He refused to go. Finally the old chief himself came and he went with him home. There lay the poor young brave-one of his eyes burst out, and otherwise terribly mangled. The father of the murderers and Wm. Perry, the brother-in-law, were compelled to sit by him night and day and look at him, while ten young braves, painted black and fully armed, sat around them in the wigwam keeping guard. Said Mr. Scott: “The two prisoners were exceedingly pleased when they saw me. They told me if I could get them released on any terms, for God's sake to do it. I still declined to go into the council and asked them to get some other man, but they would have no other.” “Accordingly, I inquired of the Indians what they intended to do with the men. They said 'Our law if the life for life.' If they would produce the murderers, they would release them-failing in that they held them responsible for the murder. Turning to Faulkner, I asked what I should say to them. Said he, 'If you make any compromise with them, do it if it takes everything I have on earth to save our lives.' There was a wigwam prepared for the council and myself, ten braves and an interpreter entered that wigwam, strongly guarded by Indians. We commenced in the morning and the council lasted until the evening of the next day. I told them that the way they wanted to do would not answer. They were in the United States and would have to be tried by our law. If they took their own course, the whites would raise an army and kill them all off. I promised that the law should be put in force the same as if a white man had been killed. I first offered them all that the Faulkners had there, telling them that would do them more good than the murderers. They would be worth nothing to them while the property would be a benefit to the young brave's wife. After long persuasion I got them into a compromise. The goods amounted to about three hundred dollars. With this they were not satisfied, but wanted to have two horses back that they had sold to the Faulkners. I got them the horses. Finally they expressed themselves satisfied. The prisoners were released, and when I told them what I had done, they were well satisfied. We then went down to McDaniels' and got our dinner. I told Faulkners and Perry now to leave-in a hurry, and in about two hours I would unlock the house and give them possession of the property. I did so and delivered the goods and groceries to them, then rolled out a barrel of whiskey to them. They knocked the head in, and all went to drinking. In about twenty minutes four braves sprang upon their horses and started in pursuit of the fugitives. They followed them about twenty miles into Missouri and came very near overtaking them. The young men who committed the crime ran away and went to Indiana. After two years they returned and father and sons went to California. Masco, the Indian, was buried in the McDaniels' dooryard, a mile from Terre Haute. At this time we were in Davis County, Missouri. Edward Winkles, John Bennett and myself were summoned before the grand jury and indictment was found against the two Faulkners, but they were never brought to Justice.” This is but one of hundreds of similar instances in which the white man is the guilty party from first to last. Whiskey being the procuring cause of the Indian outrages, and the “love of money, the root of all evil” furnished the whiskey. |
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