Chapter Iii. Muncy Manor-Pine Creek-Fair Play

CHAPTER III.

MUNCY MANOR-PINE CREEK-FAIR PLAY MEN- PINE CREEK DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.

FIRST SETTLEMENT-SAMUEL WALLIS-REDEMPTIONERS--RUSH OF SETTLERS -EARLY TOWNS-NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY ERECTED IN 1772-IN- CLUDED PRESENT LYCOMING COUNTY-REVOLUTIONARY WAR AND ITS EFFECT-TIADAGHTON CREEK-FAIRPLAY MEN-HOW CHOSEN-MEMBERS -METHOD OF PROCEDURE-PINE CREEK DECLARATION OF INDEPEN- DENCE-REV. PITMIAN.

The first settlement in Lycoming County was made about the year 1760 on what was known as the Muncy Manor. Sev- eral claims were made to this land by different individuals but as the claims had been taken up before the opening of the land office, none of them was recognized by the Penns. Among these claimants was Samuel Wallis, who afterwards became the larg- est landowner in the county. Wallis brought suit for the lands, but it was decided against him and the title confirmed in Sam- uel Harris, son of John Harris, after whom the city of Harris- burg was named. A house was built on this land and this was undoubtedly the first dwelling erected in the West Branch Valley west of the Muncy Hills. Samuel Wallis, who laid claim to the property, was a promi- nent man in his day and afterwards purchased a tract of land lying a short distance above the hamlet of Halls where he built a pretentious mansion in 1769 which is still standing and is the oldest house in Lycoming County. Subsequently Wallis became possessed of large tracts of land extending along the river bottom from Muncy to Jersey Shore. 79 80 HISTORY OF LYCOMING COUNTY

Wallis was a slaveholder, as were many of the wealthier men of that day, and also had in his employ a number of redemptioners. These were immigrants who, being unable to pay their way from the old to the new world, sold themselves for a term of years in consideration of the payment of their passage money. They were slaves to all intents and purposes but as the expiration of their indenture generally included a proviso that at the end of their term they should be given a certain sum of money and enough farm animals to enable them to start for themselves, many of them became prosperous and excellent citizens. Some of the leading citizens of the state are descend- ants of these redemptioners. Beginning with the year 1760 settlers began to pour into the valley from many different sections, some with valid claims and some with no claims at all. Squatters were numerous and some of them settled on the best lands and were prepared to hold possession of them by force of arms. Among those making claims to the whole valley were a number of people from Connecticut who claimed that their grant extended to the Wyoming Valley and beyond and a large body in command of Zebulon Butler poured into the territory. Their invasion was vigorously resented by the Penns and they soon took measures looking to their expulsion. Settlements had been made by the invaders on the North Branch and the names of Charleston and Judea given to the towns. Orders were issued for them to leave. These were disregarded and then an expedition commanded by Colonel William Plunkett was dispatched to the scene and after a short engagement the Connecticut invaders were driven out and their settlements burned. Settlements were now being made so fast in the lower section of the Susquehanna Valley that the necessity for a new county became urgent. The territory was then embraced within the limits of Berks and Cumberland counties and their HISTORY OF LYCOMING COUNTY 81 seats were too far away. Residents on the east side of the river above Lancaster belonged to Berks and those on the west side to Cumberland. Northumberland County was therefore erected on March 9, 1772, with the county seat at Fort Augusta, afterwards Sunbury. It was divided into seven townships, one of which was named Muncy and included practically all of that portion of the territory now embraced within the limits of Lycoming County. About the first business that came before the courts of the new counties was the consideration of petitions for highways, of which the whole county was in great need. The construc- tion of a road up the river was ordered at October term, 1772, but it was some years later before it was actually completed from Sunbury to the limits of the Indian purchase of Fort Stanwix. It is the same road which is now covered by the famous Susquehanna Trail. During the year 1772 the valley of the West Branch was traversed by a band of Moravians who were traveling from Wyalusing to Ohio to make a new home for themselves. There were a large number in their party headed by Bishop John Ettwein. They crossed through swamps and thick under- growth in what is now Sullivan County and from there to the Muncy Valley. They then proceeded up the river, passing the Indian villages of Otstuagy, at the mouth of Loyalsock Creek, French Margaret's Town at the mouth of Lycoming Creek and Queneshougheny at Linden. From here they proceeded on up the river to Great Island, opposite Lock Haven, from whence they passed over the mountain and on to Ohio. With the breaking out of the Revolutionary war great ex- citement prevailed throughout this section of the province but it did not halt the tide of immigration. The fame of the "New Purchase" of 1768 had gone far afield and settlers continued to come in from everywhere. With the beginning of the Revo- lution the provinces ceased to exist and the state government

4-VOL 1 82 HISTORY OF LYCOMING COUNTY took its place. The people of what is now Lycoming County were intensely patriotic and were ready to tender their services in whatever capacity they were desired. Committees of safety were organized in all sections and meetings held at which the usurpations of Great Britain were denounced and the colonies urged to fight for independence. The inhabitants of this section were, for the most part, expert riflemen and many of them afterwards joined the famous Mor- gan Corps. One of the first companies of the Continental line was raised in Northumberland County. It was commanded by Captain John Lowden and contained fourteen members from what is now Lycoming County. They left Sunbury in the latter part of July and reached Cambridge, Mass., on the eighth day of August, where they were attached to Colonel William Thomp- son's battalion and subsequently became a part of the First Regiment of the Continental line. 1768 The western limit of the Purchase of 467 was designated as Tiadaghton Creek. But where was Tiadaghton Creek? The Indians claimed it was the present Lycoming Creek but the proprietaries always insisted that the present Pine Creek, located fourteen miles farther west, was the true Tiadaghton. Between these two streams lay some of the most fertile lands in the valley. During the progress of the dispute, from the year 1773 to May 1, 1785, when the state land office was opened for applications under the purchase of October 23, 1784, these lands which consisted principally of the rich bottom lying along the river, were settled by large numbers of "squatters," who knew that they were Indian lands and not within the control of the proprietary government. They therefore established a government of their own which was one of the simplest known in history, but, according to all accounts, was one of the most effective and is a striking example of the efficacy of government by commission. HISTORY OF LYCOMING COUNTY 83 In March of each year three commissioners were chosen by the ballots of the settlers to serve for one year and these commissioners were known as "fairplay men." It was their duty to see that each member of the community had "fair play." They settled all disputes that arose between individuals, tried and punished all who violated local law, made rules and regula- tions for the government of the community and, in short, exer- cised at the same time, executive, legislative and judicial functions. They made the laws, they saw that they were enforced and they punished those who violated them. If anyone questioned one of their decisions he was put into a canoe, without paddle, towed to the middle of the river and set adrift. "The fair play men" had no regular time or place of meet- ing, but assembled whenever the exigencies of a particular case required their action. Their laws were very few, very simple and founded, as all laws should be, but many are not, on common sense and common honesty. "The fair play men" also levied whatever taxes were neces- sary for the common benefit, but as the community had not gone crazy over public improvements, the advancement of civilization and the development of its mighty resources they were kept at a minimum. The people lived cleanly, they had few wants and these were easily supplied. Each did his share of the work and they were better ruled and governed than many a larger community of the present day with all the improved governmental machinery which a more advanced and enlightened civilization is supposed to supply. It is not known whether the "fairplay" men kept any records, but if so, they have, unfortunately, been lost, which is greatly to be regretted as they would have been of great interest to all lovers of good government. From the character of those who are known to have served as "fairplay men" it is certain that the very best men in the 84 HISTORY OF LYCOMING COUNTY community were chosen for the office and it is recorded that their decisions were rarely questioned. They were governed by the purest motives, served without pay and ruled with fair- ness and justice to all. Their decision in all matters which came before them was final, there being absolutely no appeal to a higher court or other tribunal. The following persons are known to have been members of the "Fair Play" organization: Joseph McMahon, John Flem- ing, James Curry, William Dougherty, Thomas Forster, John Baker, William Maginley, Peter Maginley, William Dunn, John Chatham, James Erwin, John Dougherty, John McKinney, William McMeans, Thomas Nichols, William Jackson, F. Hiler, J. Woodsides, Benjamin Warner, Samuel Fields, Fred Bodine, John Price, Edmund Huff, Bratton Caldwell, A. Ketelinger, Richard Manning, James Forster, John Hamilton, William Luckey, John Holmes, John McElwain, James Alexander, Adam King, Robert Holmes, Richard Suthern, James Stewart, Joseph Mahaffey, William Dougherty, John Jackson, David Hammond, William Walker, Edward Masters, John Akiridge, Robert Brayley, Thomas Ferguson, Samuel Camel, James Jackson and Robert Reynolds. Such a tribunal as that known as the Fair Play System has no counterpart in the history of the world and in order to understand its methods more fully the following deposition of William King in the case of Huff versus Latcha made March 15, 1801, the only contemporary document extant recounting the procedure of the Fair Play men, is given in full. "Edmund Huffs "Jacob Larcha "In the Circuit Court, Lycoming County. "Before me the subscriber, one of the justices of the peace in and for Lycoming County personally came William King, who being duly sworn on the Holy Evangelists deposeth and saith in 1775 this deponent came on the land in question and was informed that Joseph Haines claimed the land. I asked HISTORY OF LYCOMING COUNTY 85

Haines to sell the land. He agreed and asked 30 pounds. I would not give it. He told me he was going to Jersey and intended to leave the plantation in the care of Isaiah Sutton, who then lived on it, and if he did not return Sutton might do what he pleased with it. Sutton was his nephew. Sometime after I heard Sutton was offering it for sale. I had heard much disputing about the Indian Land and thought I would go to Sutton's neighbors and inquire if he had any right. I first went to Edmund Huff, then to Thomas Kemplin, Samuel Dougherty, William McMeans and Thomas Ferguson and asked if they would accept me as a neighbor and inquired whether Isaiah Sutton had any right to the land in question. They told me Joseph Haines had once a right to it but had forfeited his right by the fair play law, and advised to purchase. I am sure Edmund Huff told me this. Huff showed me the consentable line betwixt Haines and him. Huff's land lay above Haines on the river. I purchased of Sutton, was to give him nine pounds for the land. I did not come to live on the land for some weeks. One night at a Husking of Corn, one Thomas Bond told me I was a fine fellow to be at a Husking, while a man was taking possession of my plantation. I asked who it was. He said he did not know but believed he was a Scotchman. I quit husking and Bond and I came over to the place and went into a cave the only Tenement then on the land except where Sutton lived and found some trifling articles in the cave which we threw out. I went to the men who had advised me to go on the land all except Huff and Kemplin, they advised me to go on turn him off and beat him if I was able. Next morning I got some of my friends and raised a cabin of some logs which I understood Haines had hauled. When we got it to the square we heard a noise of people coming. The first person I saw was Edmund Huff foremost with a kegg of whiskey-William and Paul was next with an axe and many more. They got on the cabin, raised the Indian yell, dispossessed me and put William Paul in possession. I and my party went off. Samuel Dougherty fol- 86 HISTORY OF LYCOMING COUNTY lowed me and told me to come back and come on terms with Paul who had money and would not take it from me for nothing. I would not go back but stopped till Daugherty went for Paul. The whole party came and brought the kegg along. After some conversation William Paul agreed to give me 13 punds for my right. He pulled out the money and gave it to Huff to keep till I would assign over my right of it. I afterwards signed the conveyance and got my money. William Paul went on the land and finished his cabin. Soon after a party brought Robert Arthur and built a cabin near Paul's in which Arthur lived. William Paul applied to the fair play men who decided in favor of Paul. Arthur however still lived on the land and would not go off. William Paul made a complaint to the Company at a Muster at Quinashahague that Arthur still lived on the land and would not go off, although the fair play men had decided against him. I was one of the officers at that time and we agreed to come and turn Arthur off. The most of the Company came down as far as Edmund Huff's who kept stills. We got a kegg of whiskey and proceeded to Arthur's cabin. He was at home with his rifle in his hand and his wife had a bayonet on a stick and they threatened death to the first person who would enter the House. The Door was shut. Thomas Kemplin our Captain made a run at the Door and burst it open and instantly seized Arthur by the neck. We pulled down the cabin and threw it into the river lashed two canoes together and put Arthur and his family into them and sent them down the river. William Paul then lived undisturbed on the land till the Indians drove us all off. William Paul did duty on the militia, and was out on a tour at the time of the runaway. During the pending of the former Trial of this cause Edmund Huff asked me if I knew what a certain William Wiley was summoned to prove. I replied I believe it was to prove that William Paul gave him Edmund Wolf thirty guineas to turn me this deponent off the land. Huff replied that if he will swear

very false for all that he gave me was one guinea. William Paul .7 HISTORY OF LYCOMING COUNTY 87 never returned to the land after the war. His eldest son was back. Edmund Huff was the person who lived on the land in question after the war. Joseph Haines never returned to the land in question; as this deponent knows or heard from his going away in the fall of 1775. Joseph Haines did not himself live on the land after this deponent came to the country, he had a small improvement of about three-quarters of an acre but no grain growing on it at that time-believes he boarded at Amariah Sutton's-and further this deponent knoweth not. "WM. KING. "Sworn to and submitted this 16th of March in the presence of C. Huston and John W. Hunter-before one Wm. Greene." The settlers on the disputed territory were intensely patriotic and being outside the jurisdiction of all law, except that of their own making, they felt freer to act than those who were under the protection of the provincial government. Accord- ingly they met on July 4, 1776, under the spreading branches of an enormous elm tree on the west bank of Pine Creek in what is now Clinton County, and solemnly declared themselves free and independent and forever absolved from all allegiance to the British crown. This famous elm tree is still standing and ciety. It is known as the "Independence Elm." (Illustration p. 88.) Whether this declaration was ever reduced to writing is unknown but the probabilities are that it was. If so, the original copy has been lost, probably at the time of the Big Run- away, three years later. At all events the incident has been handed down with such minute circumstantiality by word of mouth from father to son as to leave no doubt as to its authen- ticity. It is a remarkable coincidence that this declaration should have been adopted on the very day that the other immortal instrument was signed at Philadelphia, two hundred miles away. 88 HISTORY OF LYCOMING COUNTY

It was during this summer that Rev. Philip Vicar Fithian, a Presbyterian minister, made a journey through the West Branch Valley as far as Lycoming Creek and in his journal records many interesting facts, among them being his surprise at finding the existence of "barrens" or wastes along some of the creeks. These "barrens" were places along the stream

"INDEPENDENCE ELM" Pine Creek Declaration of Independence signed under this tree, July 4, 1776, by The Fair Play Men. where timber would not grow and they were thought by many settlers to be barren land which would yield nothing, while as a matter of fact, some of them contained the most fertile land to be found in the entire section of the country. Fithian was received everywhere with the utmost cordiality and gives evidence in the account of his journey of the high character of the inhabitants. HISTORY OF LYCOMING COUNTY 89

That portion of the land below Lycoming Creek was beginning to fill up rapidly, but that between Lycoming Creek and Pine Creek was not settled very fast until after the year 1784, when a new treaty was negotiated with the Indians in which they finally admitted that Pine Creek was the real Tiadaghton mentioned in the treaty of 1768. The treaty of 1784 included all the lands in the state over which the Indians claimed jurisdiction. CHAPTER IV. THE BIG RUNAWAY-FORT MUNCY NEWS OF THE WYOMING MASSACRE-SETTLERS ORDERED TO FLEE TO FORT AUGUSTA FOR SAFETY-GREAT EXODUS FROM THE VALLEY-CLOSELY FOLLOWED BY INDIANS WHO DEVASTATED THE ENTIRE VALLEY-SHORT- AGE OF FOOD IN THE FORT-LOCAL EFFECT OF THE BATTLE OF MON- MOUTH-TROOPS ARRIVE-BUILDING OF FORT MUNCY-ANOTHER INDIAN RAID-FORT MUNCY DESTROYED-CIVIL AFFAIRS DEMORALIZED-ENG- LISH INFLUENCE AMONG INDIANS.

When the details of the horrible massacre at Wyoming in 1778 began to drift into the West Branch Valley the inhabitants were filled with apprehension and alarm. Many of the reports were exaggerated but enough was known to indicate that between 150 and 300 persons had been killed and no one knew when or where the next blow would be struck. The settlers determined to take no chances and they, therefore, prepared for a general exodus of the valley. Orders had been sent to Colonel William Hepburn in command of the militia to direct the inhabitants to leave and repair to Fort Augusta at Sunbury. Word was carried to the outlying districts by Robert Covenhoven and a young millwright in the employ of Andrew Culbertson at his mill at the mouth of Mosquito Creek. They proceeded up the river by way of the crest of the Bald Eagle Mountains, so as not to be seen by the Indians that might be lurking along the flats, and continued on as far as Fort Antes, opposite the mouth of Pine Creek, and from there word was passed on up to Fort Horn at the present Pine Station on the Pennsylvania Railroad. From there the inhabitants above and in the vicinity of Lock Haven were notified. 90 PLAN OF FORT MUNCY Sketch made by George D. Wood, M. D., from a document in the State Library at Harrisburg, 1879. The original having disappeared from the state collection, this copy made by Dr. Wood is the only one extant. (Collection of T. Kenneth Wood, M. D.) t HISTORY OF LYCOMING COUNTY 91

Then followed a scene that has no parallel in the history of the United States. The land was filled with growing grain that was ripe for the harvest. Many of the settlers had just finished building their places of abode. Outbuildings had barely been completed and the people were in a state in which they could see a little rest and leisure ahead of them after the hardships incident to the settlement of the new country and blazing the way for an advancing civilization. They were ordered to abandon everything and proceed down the river to Fort Augusta with all possible haste. Rafts and flat boats, canoes and all other kinds of river craft were hastily assembled and all the portable goods, horses, cattle, household utensils and other articles placed thereon. Boxes and barrels were lined along the sides to provide some sort of protection for the women and children. Such articles as were too bulky to be placed on the nondescript river craft were buried and the place well marked. All available provisions were assembled and every preparation made for the trip down the river. Fortunately, the weather was warm and there was no need for protection from the cold. The wildest rumors were afloat and fear sat upon every countenance. The steadying influence of such men as Robert Covenhoven and his associates served to prevent a panic and the flotilla of women and children began its perilous descent of the river. The men walked along the shore to prevent possible attacks from Indians and many of them drove their cattle and horses ahead of them. As they proceeded, the crowd was augmented by others further down who joined the fleeing people when the flotilla reached them. When night came part of the contingent following the shores were placed on board the craft to enable them to get a little sleep while the others walked along the banks maintaining a constant vigil. These men were relieved from time to time and others took their places. In this way the journey to Fort Augusta was made and the people were none 92 HISTORY OF LYCOMING COUNTY too soon in getting away for they were followed closely by marauding bands of Indians who burned and destroyed everything in their path. As the fleeing settlers looked back on the places where their homes once stood they could see a sea of flame following them, the tongues of which were lapping up their deserted houses and waving grain fields. The torch was applied indiscriminately and nothing was left that was combustible. When the havoc was finished the beautiful valley was a desert of charred destruction. The last contingent of the fleeing inhabitants reached Fort Augusta by the ninth of July, 1778 and then another difficulty confronted them. Their departure from the valley had been sudden and their arrival at Fort Augusta was unexpected. The problem of how to feed these new accessions to the overcrowded numbers already at the fort became a serious one and urgent representations were immediately sent to the authorities at both Harrisburg and Philadelphia, reciting the dire need of these people, and begging that sufficient food be provided for them to satisfy their immediate necessities. There was food sufficient in the lower counties but the problem was largely one of transportation. Appeals were made to the citizens of Berks and Lancaster counties for assistance in this emergency and it was not long before food began to pour into Fort Augusta to relieve the precarious condition of the refugees. Gradually those who had been driven out of the valley began to return to their homes or what was left of them. Small bands of settlers were organized and well officered. These followed up the roving bands of Indians and drove them further north. As the panic began to subside and confidence was restored more of the refugees returned. They found nothing but ashes and some still smoking ruins from Muncy to Antes Fort, a distance of twenty-eight miles. The Wallis mansion at Halls, and Fort Antes, at the mouth of Pine Creek, were the only buildings left HISTORY OF LYCOMING COUNTY 93 standing and these were so substantially built that they resisted the effects of the torch. After the battle of Monmouth was won and General Clin- ton driven out of New Jersey, General Washington was able to release some portions of his army and send them to the aid of the hardy frontiersmen of the West Branch Valley. Colonel Daniel Brodhead was dispatched to the Lycoming County see- tion with 125 men and his coming not only inspired confidence but also caused consternation among the Indians who quickly retreated before his advance. Colonel Brodhead only remained for a few weeks, but during his short stay his presence, and that of his troops, had a salutary effect upon both the whites and the red men. He was succeeded by Colonel Thomas Hart- ley, an officer of considerable ability and reputation, who brought a detachment of militia to the neighborhood of Muncy farms, the property of Samuel Wallis. Hartley was quick to see the importance of this point for a fortification and rein- forced by the representations of Wallis, strongly urged upon the authorities the necessity of erecting a strong defensive post at this strategic point. His recommendation soon bore fruit and the building of Fort Muncy was decided upon. It is probable that some sort of defensive work existed at the Muncy farms of Samuel Wallis from the time of the building of his mansion in 1769 and these, no doubt, were destroyed at the time of the "Big Runaway." The many large tributaries of the West Branch of the Sus- quehania River flowing into it from the north, afforded excellent opportunities for the Indians to float down them in their canoes and fall upon the unsuspecting settlers and the necessity of a central point of concentration, with sufficient strength to resist attack, was, therefore, strongly felt. The building of Fort Muncy having been decided upon, Cap- tain Andrew Walker was directed to take his company to that point and erect the fortification at the earliest possible moment. The site selected was on a knoll a short distance from the Wallis 94 HISTORY OF LYCOMING COUNTY mansion at a point where the cut of the Reading Railroad above where Halls Station is now located. Work on the fort was begun about the first of August, 1778 and so rapidly was it pushed that by the first of September it was practically completed and ready for occupancy. Colonel Hartley was warm in his praise of Captain Walker and his men and in a letter to the supreme executive council said that he had never seen so much work done in so short a time. The exact dimensions of Fort Muncy are not known, but it occupied considerable ground. It consisted of bastions made of fascines and clay, and curtains of stockades, twelve feet high. It contained officers' quarters, storehouse and powder magazine and was mounted with one four pound iron cannon and three swivel guns. A covered walk at the rear, or on the side toward the river, led to a never-failing spring of water. That it could accommodate 150 to 200 men is attested by the fact that Colonel Hartley had that many quartered there at the time he started on his expedition to Tioga Point. Fort Muncy was used as a place of refuge by the inhabitants of Muncy Valley on more than one occasion. It was the most important fortification in Central Pennsylvania north of Fort Augusta and the only one erected on either the North or West Branches of the Susquehanna River by authority of the province. In the summer of 1779 another runaway occurred in the valley, not as extensive as that of the year before, but the Indians again swept down the river and its tributaries in such strength that many of the inhabitants were forced to leave on short notice and numerous buildings were again burned, among them Fort Muncy. Whether any part of it was left standing is unknown but it is quite certain that it was rebuilt, for Moses Van Campen, the celebrated frontiersman and Indian scout, mentions in a letter that he visited it as late as the year 1782. Whether it was again destroyed is also unknown, but no traces of it now exist and the chances are that, after the close of the HISTORY OF LYCOMING COUNTY 95

Revolutionary war when it was no longer needed for military purposes, it was allowed to fall into decay. During its existence it was not only the rallying point for the settlers in case of danger, but it was also used as a storehouse for goods needed by the inhabitants and it was from it that ammunition, guns and other supplies were issued. It was the general distributing point for everything in the way of supplies that the people were in need of. Close to it also was a grist mill, owned and operated by Samuel Wallis, to which people from all over the Muncy Valley brought their grain to be ground. Next to a fortification for their protection from Indians, a grist mill was the most important adjunct to an infant settlement. Food was a necessity and bread was the most important food. Machinery for grinding flour was, therefore, almost as essential to the people as a defensive work for their physical safety. Hence the appropriateness of having a grist mill located within the defensive radius of the guns of the fort. Fort Muncy was located on open ground with a dense growth of timber in the rear which extended to the river, but on the north and east there was cleared land for a considerable distance which afforded an uninterrupted outlook up Muncy Creek. A better situation for a fortification of its kind would be hard to find. One of the greatest troubles experienced by the inhabitants after their return to the valley, following the Great Runaway, was the demoralized condition of civil affairs. The courts had virtually ceased to exist. There was no attorney to prosecute criminals and business was at a standstill. For two successive meetings of the regular courts no prosecuting attorney had appeared and the supreme executive council was so notified. A six months' suspension of justice had caused some of the people to become licentious, proprietors of tippling houses and promoters of vice and immorality became bolder and at least 96 HISTORY OF LYCOMING COUNTY two charged with murder were still held in jail after six months without having been brought to trial. This condition gradually righted itself after the inhabitants gathered up the tangled skeins where they dropped them in their precipitate flight from the valley early in the summer. Order was slowly brought out of the chaos and the inherent adaptability of the American people for self government began to assert itself. By the following spring conditions had returned to normal. Following their chastisement at the hands of Colonel Hart- ley the Indians remained comparatively peaceful during the late fall and winter of 1778 and few of the settlers were molested. It seemed as though peace had come to stay and this condition of affairs would probably have continued had the Indians been left alone. But they were a constant prey to the machinations of the English. Their imaginations were excited by tales of oppression and greed on the part of the colonists and they were made to believe that if the Americans were able to win their independence the lands of the Indian would be con- fiscated and he would be driven from the country which he had inherited from his forefathers. Gradually the savages grew bolder and forays into the settlements of the whites became more numerous.