HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Conococheague Massacre The
Conococheague
Massacre.
to
THE
CONOCOCNEAGU�
i' MASSACRE,
OR
THE SLAUGHTER OF
SCHOOLMASTER BROWN
R AND HIS PUPILS,
II BY THE INDIANS,
=i,
NEAR GREENCASTLE, PENNA.,
JULY 26, 1764.
P -mil.-
PUBLISHED BY
1 BENJAMIN H. OCKER,
FAYETTEVILLE, PA.
1895.
t
THE CONOCOCHEAGUE MASSACRE,
The Conococheague massacre occurred
in the heart of the famous Cumberland
Valley. This valley extends from the Sus-
quehanna to the Potomac, a distance of 80
miles. It averages 12 miles in width,and
is hemmed in by two mountain ranges. Its
northern portion is drained into the Sus-
quehanna by the Conodoguinet and the
Yellow Breeches creeks, and the southern
portion into the Potomac by the Conoco-
oheague and the Antietam creeks. At
present the valley is thickly settled with a
thrifty, intelligent people. It is an agri-
cultural district, in a high state of cultiva-
tion, and contains many fine towns and
villages. At the time of the massacre the
greater part of it was a dense forest. The
heart-rending tragedy herein narrated was
carefully written up, by Prof. S. H. Eby,
while serving as Superintendent of the
schools of Franklin county, as follows:
"The first authentic account of an ele-
mentary school,within the limits of Frank-
lin county, dates back to 1764.
At this date,settlements were started at
various places in the county, principal-
ly adjacent to the Conococheague creek.
2 3
The first settlers of this county expert- culture, particularly noted and respected
enced all the privations incident to a front- for his truthfulness, integrity, and chris-
ier life. During the French and Indian tian character; in short,he was an exem-
war they were in constant peril, being ex- glary teacher of his day. On the morning
posed to the merciless treatment of Indian above named, he proceeded, as usual, to
war parties, who were almost constantly the log school-house, which was a struct-
marauding some portion of the frontier,
ure of the rudest character,opened it, and
destroying and desolating all property 4 doubtless performed the various duties at-
within their reach, surprising and mur- teudaut upon a teacher to put things gen-
J dering the inhabitants, in a most cruel
erally in readiness for the opening of the
manner, and at other times abducting and I school. Tradition says that on the above
subjecting them to the most inhuman treat- named morning the children were gener-
ment. The following incident is only one j ally loath to go to school;even those that
of the many atrocious acts committed by were particularly fond of going at other
those savages upon the early settlers. The
times disliked very much to start on that
region in which it occurred was then in day. One boy determined he would not
Cumberland county, (now Franklin,) go, but that he would loiter in the woods
about three miles north of Greencastle, until evening,and then return to his home,
and ten miles south-west of Chainbersburg• leaving his parents under the impression
This foul murder of a teacher and all his he had been at school. This boy,although
pupils, with one exception, was perpetrat- detected of his truancy,escaped the sad fate
ed by the Indians on the morning of the that befell his school-master. One by
'I 26th of July, A. D. 1764. Enoch Brown one the mirthful boys and girls came drop-
was the school-master of the settlement. { ping in, with dinner basket in hand, little
He is said to have been a man of liberal thinking that this would be their last
4 A
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day at school. When the hour for open- way to school they had seen in the bushes
ing the school had arrived, they were told what they conceived to be Indians;but,
by the teacher to take their respective the teacher, being a man of courage, at-
places in the room. The roll being called, tributed this report to the temidity of the
only ten responded to their names, eight children, as such rumors had frequently,
boys and two girls. The school had been on former occasions,been in circulation on
much larger in the early part of the sum- the frontier, when really no Indians were
mer, but hot weather and seasonal duties near. But shortly after the opening exer-
had very much decreased the number of cises of the school,a slight noise at the door
scholars. I have not been able to aster- attracted the attention of the teacher,
twin the names of all the scholars, but when, to! the grim visage of three Indians
have learned, from a reliable source, that met his gaze. Quick as thought did he
no two were from the same family, so that conceive the idea that these cruel villains
there were ten families from the settle- - were after him, and not the children.
ment represented in the school. Eben Knowing, too, that there was no means of
Taylor was the largest boy, a lad about escape,and hoping to spare the lives of the
fifteen years of age. George Dunston was innocent children, he quickly stepped to
somewhat younger than Taylor, and Ar- the door,and,iu imploring tones, besought
chic McCullough, who survived his inju- them to kill him,torture him,or dispose of
lies, was the youngest child of the school, him as they saw fit,but,for heaven's sake,
The names of the two girls were Ruth to spare the poor, harmless children;to
Hart and Ruth Hale. The account given• which,after a short consultation, one of
by Archie McCullough is, that when the the Indians replied that they did not
master and scholars met at the school, want the children, but in order to
two of the boys informed him that on their avoid detection, and not to arouse
j 6 7
the settlers before they had time to make went hurriedly from one to another,tear- 1
good their escape,they would be compell- ing off their scalps. Little Archie, who
G
ed to kill the children also. In an instant had thus far avoided detection, was con-
1
r' . one of the Indians, armed with a wooden cealed behind some wilted boughs which
mallet, ran through the door,and attacked had previously been put in the great fire-
the master, who had nothing with which place, from which place of concealment
to defend himself but his hands. These he could see the horrible slaughter of his
were soon disabled and broken,after which schoolmates. The Indians, now suppos-
, a few well directed blows about the head, Y irfg their work completed, were about
felled him to the floor in a dying condi- leaving the house,when one of them look-
tion. During the time the savage was ing back, discovered some object in the
brutally murdering Mr. Brown, the chil- chimney corner,where Archie wes secreted.
dren were almost frantic, running to and The savage rushed back upon Archie,
fro, crying for help. Possibly some of dealt him a single,but fearful,blow, and
them would have made their escape into ruthlessly tearing off his scalp, left him
the undergrowth, which surrounded the for dead. Some hours after this bloody j
house, but for the two Indians who re- tragedy had been committed, one of the
mained on the outside to guard the door, citizens happened to come in the vicinity
and to give timely notice to the one with- of the school-house, and, observing the
in,in case they were discovered. One by unusual quietness of the place at that hour
one the urchins were stricken down with of the day, his curiosity led him to the
furious blows from the heavy mallet of the door, where the horrible scene was pre-
• Indian, until all, save little Archie, were rented to him. Ten lifeless bodies were
stretched upon the floor, dead or dying. i stretched upon the floor,weltering in their
As no time was to be lost, the savage own blood, and little Archie, who was not
A
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dead, but blind from the blow he had re-
captured by the Indians in 1756, and was
ceived, moaning and crawling about,
still a captive at the time the murder was
among his dead companions, smoothing
perpetrated:
his hands over their faces, and running
his fingers through their hair, as if trying `Some time in the summer of 1764, a
to distinguish one from another by the party of Indians, numbering about three
touch. Poor lad! for many weeks he was hundred, collected, with the intention to
lying in a critical condition, and at sever- go to the Conococheague settlement, and
make a general massacre of all the people,
al times his life was almost despaired of;
without any regard to age or sex. They
but by securing the best medical skill that
were out about ten days, when most of
then could be obtained, and by careful and
attentive nursing, he, after lingering a them returned. Having held a council,
long time, recovered. He lived to an old they concluded that it was not policy for
but his mind was never quite right
them to leave their towns destitute of de-
age,
fence. However, several small parties
again. A few days after this dreadful mac- went to different parts of the settlement.
sacre, the whole neighborhood gathered It happened that three of them,with whom
to participate in the funeral obsequies.
I was well acquainted, went to the neigh-
The teacher and scholars were all buried boyhood from which I had been taken.
in the same grave, being put into a large,
They went to a school-house, where they
rudely constructed box, with their murdered and scalped the master and all
clothing on, as they were found,
the scholars. They supposed all were
after being murdered. In connection dead when they left the house, but one
with the murder of Mr. Brown and
his pupils, I shall give a short extract of boy, about ten years old, a full cousin of
mine,recovered,after he had been scalped.
John McCullough's narrative, who was I saw the Indians when they returned with
1
10 1
The bones were much decayed, and when
the scalps. Some of the old Indians were very much displeased with them for kill-
the skull was handled and exposed to the
.
ing so many children,especially one chief, atmosphere for a short time, it crumbled
or half-king, who attributed their act to
into dust. Near by the side of this skele-
cowardice, which was the grossest insult ton there was discovered another, which,
that could be given them.' from its size, was evidently that of a man
On the 4th of August,1843,seventy-nine full grown. It was in a much better state
of preservation than the former, and from
years after the perpetration of this brutal the relics found in close contact, which
slaughter,a number of gentlemen from the were a large metal button, several small
town of Greencastle,repaired to the place, ones, part of an iron box,which seemed to
in Antrim township where, tradition said,
have been a tobacco box, it was evident
the murdered victims were buried. A. B. that this was the skeleton of the tenoher.
Rankin, Esquire, of Greencastle, says:
After further search, several other small
'A small piece of ground, on the south skeletons were found,lying with head and
side of a hill,was pointed out as being the feet in opposite directions.'
place. This spot is in an open field, un a
The relics above mentioned are still in
marked by anything, save the grass and possession of some of the persons who
briars that distinguish it from the eulti- were present at the time of the eahuina-
vated land with which it is surrounded. tion. The location was truly a solitary
Some of the party soon commenced remov-
ing the earth, and, after digging to the one,being against the side of a hill,which
was covered with a thick undergrowth of
depth of four and a half feet, found some pine, and in front of which there is a deep
rotten wood and several rusty nails of quite and dismal ravine, affording every oppor-
ancient construction. After digging a little 7tunity for the escape of savages after hav-
deeper,part of a small skeleton was found.
12
ing committed so fiendish an act. 1 vis-
ited the place myself on the 12th of July,
1877, and found nothing, but two locust
trees, to render sacred and commemorate
the spot where lie buried the remains of
the innocent victims of Indian ferocity."
Since the foregoing narrative was written,
a number of public-spirited citizens of
Franklin county formed a committee, and
by voluntary contributions raised a fund
in the name of the teachers and scholars
of all the schools in the county, and pur-
chased from Captain Jacob Diehl, the
owner,a suitable amount of land,includ-
ing the spot where school-master Brown
and his ten pupils were so cruelly dealt
with,and thereon erected an appropriate
and enduring monument to mark the place
where occurred one of the most tragic
scenes in the history of Pennsylvania.
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