Ashland County, Ohio - Chapter with an unread heading (no. 6 of those read), 1880

The Mohegans

A Remnant of tlie Connecticut Mohegans Locate on a Branch of While 'Woman's River and give Names to all the Streams Emptying into it from the Northwest. - They Erect a Village Under the Chiefship of Mohegan John, on the Jerome Fork of Mohican.

When the English landed in New England they were heartily welcomed and treated with much consideration and kindness by the native Indians inhabiting her coasts. The English colonists made a show of purchasing the lands of the Indians, closing their purchases and treaties in writing, which the natives neither understood nor could read. By these repeated contracts and sales, thev narrowed the domains of the children of the forest, and thus artfully crowded them into narrow and sterile tongues of land until they -feared starvation and extermination. Thus, the English villages and settlements drew nearer and nearer their hunting grounds, and the natives were constantly pressed upon and forced back from the homes and graves of their fathers. They resisted, but in vain ! Their tribes were broken and scattered by the "psalm-singing Puritans," and compelled to seek refuge up the St. Lawrence and among the live Nations in northern New York.

The J /o/h 'rdns of Connecticut, once owning the eastern part cf that State, the most of Rhode Island, and the country between the banks of the Connecticut and the Hudson, fell victims to the avarice of the white set- ; tiers by being stripped of their lands and driven from their homes. The most of them fled up the St. Lawt rence under French protection, where they probably incorporated themselves with the Iroquois and became a I mixed race. From Canada they found an asylum in the wild territories of Ohio by passing the domains of the Fire Nations or through Michigan down tlie western coast of Lake Erie. The precise period of their arrival in Ohio is not known with certainty ; hut by reference to Pov. nail's map. wc find that the M herons, remnants of the old Connecticut tribe, occupied the west branch ^ of the Muskingum as early as 1755.

1 i . c last of a race made famous in the early annals ; , <- \ IT. -land, seemed to have been fused with Canat(!d Iroquois, and had emigrated a short time be- . from near Montreal. One of their villages was , : is, and was situated about twenty miles above the j i. mu'ipai forks of the Muskingum, near the junction of ' - Vernon and Mohican rivers, on the borders of Knox and Coshocton counties. As nearly all the rivers and streams in Ohio received a name from the Indian tribe or nation located on their margin, may not the name of ihc "Mohican" and its branches, have been derived from the tribe long resident at Tullihas and afterwards at Rromeville? This meagre account of their early settlement ia Ohio, is mostly derived from Heckevvelder and Drake's "Life in a Wigwam."* j. <;riod, may be properly understood by the reader, we deem it proper to introduce the narrative of James Smith, who was captured when about eighteen years of a.:c, by three Indians, near Bedford, in western Pennsylvania, in the spring of 1755, a short time before the crushing defeat of General Braddock. He was compelled to run the gauntlet on the banks of the Allegheny, . opposite. Fort DuQuesne, now Pittsburgh, where he marly lost his life by being felled by a blow from a stick or tomahawk handle, and on attempting to rise was almost blinded by having sand thrown into his eyes. He was then taken in an unconscious condition into the | fort, and tenderly cared for by a French physician, until he had recovered from his wounds.

After remaining in the fort nearly a month, where he heard of the defeat .of Braddock and Washington, and witnessed the exultation of the French, and the savage brutalities of the Indians towards their captives, and expecting the same fate himself, he was taken by his captors on a long journey through the forests to the village of Tullihas, on the west branch of the Muskingum, about twenty miles above the forks. The village was occupied by Mohegans, Caugbnewagos and Delawares. f Here he was adopted by the Indians. In his journal r.e says :

"The tiny after my arrival a; the aforesaid town, a number of Irt- ' i.ins collected about me,, and one of them began to pull the hair out J of triv head. He had some ashes on a piece of bark, in which he fre- j Cjuently dipped his fingers in order to take the firmer hold, and so he j went on, as if he had been plucking a turkey, until he had all the hair 1 clean out of mv h nl, oxi opt a small, spot about three or four inches s |iiare on ray crown. This they cut off with a pair of scissors, .excepting three locks, which they dressed up in their own mode. Two of these they wrapped around with a narrow beaded garter, made by

* As early as the year 1762, a number of them (Mo/icf-.tns) had emigrated to the O.I»io, where I became acquainted with their chief, who ! was called by the whites "Mohican John." - I/nkaoeldcr's Indian I f'">i r, page 77. He probably visited Mohican JohiiathM village, three- i fourths of a mile southwest of Joromeville, in Mohican township, as a j missionary.

i It has been supposed that the village alluded to was on the present 'ate of kuscoe, Coshocton county; la", if, as Sunlit states, it was twenty ndles from the junction of the Tuscarawas, tq tin Whitewoman, or west bran< it of the Muskingum, it was somewhere near the junction of the Lake fork of the Mohican with Vcrnolt rivers or Owl 1 creek ' * 1 themselves for that purpose, and these they plaited at full length, and then stuck it full of silver brooches. After this they bored my nose and ears, and fixed me off with ear-rings and nose-jewels. Then they ordered me to strip off my clothes and put on a breech-clout, which I aid. They then painted my head, face and body, in various colors. They put a large belt of wampum on my neck, and sliver bands on my hands and right arm; and so an old chief led me out on the street, and gave the alarm, " Hallo! " Coo-vvigh - several times, repeated quick; and on this, all that were in the town came running' and stood around the old chief, who held me by the hand in their midst. As I at that time knew nothing of their mode of adoption, and had seen them put to death all they had taken, and as I never could find that they saved a man alive at Bradrlock 's defeat, 1 made no doubt but they were about putting me to death in some cruel manner. The old chief, holding me by the hand, made a long speech, very loud, and, when he had done, he handed me to three young squaws, who led me by the hand down the bank, into the river, until the water was up to our middle. The squaws then made signs to me to plunge my self into the water, but I did not understand them, i thought the result of the council was that I should be drowned, and these young ladies were to be the executioners. They ail three laid violent hold of me, and I for the time-opposed them with all my might, which occasioned loud laughter by the multitude that were on the bank of the river. At length one of the squaws made out to speak a little English (for I believe tliey began to be afraid of me), and said, 'No hurt you.' On this, I gave myself up to their ladyships, who were as good as their word; for though they plunged me under water, and washed and rubbed me severely, yet I could not say they hurt me much. These young women then led me to the council house, where some of the tribe were ready with clothes for me. They gave me a new ruffled shirt, which v put on, also a pair of leggins done off with ribbons and beads, likewise a pair of moccasins, and gaiters dressed with beads, porcupine quills, and red hair - also a tinsel-laced cappo. They again painted my head and face with various colors, and tied a bunch of feathers to one of those locks they left on the crown of my head, which stood up five or six inches. They seated me cn a bear-skin and gave me a pipe, tomahawk, and polecat -skin pouch, which had been skinned pocket-fashion, and contained tobacco, killige'nico, or dry sumach leaves, which they mix with their tobacco, also spunk, flint, and steel. When I was thus seated, the Indians came in, dressed and painted in their grandest manner. As they came in, they took their seats, and for a considerable tune there was a profound silence - -every one was smoking; but not a word was spoken .among them. At length one of the chiefs made a speech, which was delivered to me bv an interpreter, and was as follows: 'My son, you are now flesh of our flesh and bone of our bene. By the ceremony w hich was performed this day, every drop of white blood was washed out of your veins; you are taken into the Caughne-fago nation, and initialed into .a warlike tribe; you are adopted into a great family, and now received with great seriousness .aid solemnity in the room and place of a great man. After what has passed this day, you are now one of us bv an old strong law and custom. My son, you have now nothing to fear - we are now under the same obligations to love, support, and. defend you, that we are to love and defend one another; therefore, vou are to consider yourself as one of our people.' At this time 1 did not believe this fine speech, especially that of the white blood being washed out of me; but since that time I have found that there was much sincerity in said speech; for, 'from that day, I never knew them to make any distinction between me and themselves, in any respect whatever, until 1 left them.. If they had plenty of clothing, 1 had plenty; if we were scarce, we nil shared one fate. After this eeremonv was ov. r I was introduced to my new kin, and told that I was to attend a feast that evening, which 1 did. And as the custom was, they gave me also a bowl and wooden spoon, which 1 carried with me to the pl.ua where there was a number of large brass kettles full of boiled venison anil green corn; every one advanced vvitli his bowl tnd spoon, and hail his share given him. After this, one of the chiefs made a speech, and then we began to eat."

The names of the chiefs of Tullihas , were Tecanyatorighto and Asallecoa. The next evening Smith was invited to a sort of Indian dance which he describes th.ust

"The young non stood in one rank, an ! the young women in . nother, Tout one rod apart, facing each other. The one that rae.sl llie tune, or started the song, h Id a small gourd tir dry shell of a squash in his hand, which contained beads or small stones, which rallied W hen he began to sing, lie timed the tunc with his latlle ; both