The Black Hawk War Including a Review of Black Hawk's Life
shrieks and whoops, signals for the slaughter which followed. The men at
the blacksmith shop were so completely surprised that no opportunity for
defense was offered. Hall was instantly dispatched. Norris attempted
resistance, but his gun was seized and in another instant he, too, was
dead. Davis, the strongest of the party, fought desperately by clubbing
his rifle, but to no purpose against such frightful odds, for no sooner
would he dispose of one antagonist than others would take his place with
added ferocity, for Davis was the man they most of all hated and feared,
and well he earned the distinction of being a fighter on that dreadful
day. The ground about his dead body was torn and bloody, indicating a
conflict second only to the hand-to-hand contest of gallant Captain
Adams at Stillman’s defeat. The brains of children were dashed out
against a stump; the women were butchered, and, after the most revolting
mutilations, their bodies were hanged, heads downward, to neighboring
trees.[135] Young William Davis and John W., a son of William Hall, made
their escape after desperate chances. Henry George, in attempting to
escape, jumped into the mill pond, but a bullet quickly disposed of him.
Spears, knives, tomahawks and rifles performed their bloody and deadly
offices, and the fiends afterward confessed they relished the sight
because the women squawked like ducks as the steel penetrated their
flesh. Mrs. Davis, in her fright, threw both arms about Rachel Hall, and
when shot down the muzzle of the rifle had been so close as to burn the
flesh to a blister. Aside from the few who escaped, but two, Sylvia and
Rachel Hall, aged, respectively, seventeen and fifteen years, were
spared, whether from a sentimental demand made by the two Indians,
To-qua-mee and Co-mee, before consenting to act as guides, or for the
purpose of ransom, cannot be definitely determined, but from subsequent
developments it is probable that both reasons were factors in their
preservation.
These two Indians, who subsequently confessed their part in the affair
to Louis Ouilmette, after their acquittal, insisted that it was agreed
the two young ladies should be spared because of the infatuation of
those young red men for them. They had been frequent visitors at the
Hall home, and endeavored, after the fashion of the Indian, to purchase
the girls from Mr. Hall.
Following is the narrative of the captivity of the Hall girls, reduced
to writing by them and John W. Hall, the manuscripts being now in
possession of Hon. James H. Eckles of Chicago, and by him loaned to be
used herein. Mrs. Eckles is a granddaughter of Mrs. Munson.
“A short and concise account of the capture, treatment and rescue of the
two Misses Hall. The capture occurred on the 20th of May, 1832, in the
afternoon, by the Sacs and Foxes, and the rescue on the 1st of June
following.
The following is a statement of the two girls, made in the presence of
William Munson and W.S. Horn, their husbands:
“In the afternoon of the 20th day of May, 1832, we were alarmed by
Indians rushing suddenly into the room where we were staying. The room
or house was situated on the north bank of Indian Creek, in the county
of LaSalle, State of Illinois, about 12 miles north of Ottawa. Here
our father and family, consisting of father, mother, four sisters and
three brothers, were stopping a few days. Father’s name was William
Hall, about 45 years old. Mother’s name was Mary Jane Rebecca, aged
45. The eldest sister’s name was Temperance Cutright, who was living
in McLean County, Illinois, at the time, and was about 27 years old;
eldest brother’s name was John W., who was at home, aged 23; Edward H.
Hall, aged 21; Greenbury Hall, aged 19 (these two last named were not
at the house at the time when the Indians made the attack); Sylvia
Hall, aged 17; Rachael Hall, aged 15; Elizabeth, aged 8. The house in
which we were belonged to Wm. Davis, who, with his family, contained
nine members. Mr. Pettigrew’s family, consisting of four members, were
also at the house, where those families were stopping together, in
order to protect each other in case of danger from the Indians. John
H. Henderson, Henry George and Robert Norris also were stopping at the
same house.
“John H. Henderson, Alexander Davis, Edward and Greenbury Hall, Allen
Howard, Wm. Davis, Jr., were in the field, about 100 rods south, at
the time when the Indians approached the house. Wm. Hall, Wm. Davis,
John W. Hall, Norris and George were at the time in a blacksmith shop
about sixty or eighty steps from the house, rather down the creek, and
near the bank and not far from the north end of a mill dam, which was
being built.
“Mr. Pettigrew was in the house, when all of a sudden the Indians came
to the door of the house. Pettigrew, with a child in his arms, flew to
the door and tried to shut it, but failed to accomplish his object,
being shot, and fell in the house. Then commenced a heart-rending
scene. Mrs. Pettigrew had her arms around Rachael at the time she was
shot, and the flash of the burning powder blew in her face. We were
trying to hide or get out of the way, while there was no place to get.
We were on the bed when the Indians caught us, and took us out into
the yard, two Indians taking each of us by the arms and hurrying off
as fast as possible, and while going, we saw an Indian take
Pettigrew’s child by the feet and strike its head against a stump, and
Davis’ little boy was shot by an Indian, two other Indians holding the
boy by each hand.
“We passed on to the creek, about 80 steps, when they dragged Rachael
into the creek and about half way across, when they turned back and
went near half way to the house, where Sylvia and Rachael got together
and were hurried up the creek on the north side, being the same side
the house stood upon, to where the Indians had left their ponies,
about 1-1/2 miles from the house. Here we found the Indians with
father’s horses and some of the neighbors tied up with their ponies.
We were then placed on a pony apiece, on an Indian saddle, and placed
near the center of the procession, each of our ponies being led, and
occasionally the ponies we were riding received the lash from someone
behind.
“We supposed that there was somewhere about 40 warriors, no squaws
being in this party. In this way we traveled until late in the night,
when the party halted about two hours, and the Indians danced a
little, holding their ponies by the bridles. We rested during this
time on some blankets, and both permitted to sit together. Then we
were remounted and traveled on in the same order until one or two
o’clock the next day, when they halted again near some bushes, not far
from a grove of timber (on our right). Just before we stopped, Rachael
made signs to them that she was tired, and was allowed to get off her
pony and walk awhile, and while walking we came to a stream of water
some three feet deep, and she was compelled to wade through the water.
Here we rested one or two hours while the ponies picked a little, and
some beans were scalded by the Indians and some acorns roasted, and
the Indians ate heartily, and we tried to, but it was very hard to get
much down while expecting all the time to fare like our beloved
friends, or worse. After thus resting, we were packed up as usual, and
traveled on a while, when some of the Indians left us for some time.
When they returned we were hurried on at a rapid rate some five miles,
while the Indians that were following had their spears drawn, and we
expected that the party while absent had seen some whites, and that if
we were overtaken they would destroy us.
“After having rode at this rapid rate for about one hour, they slacked
or checked their speed and rode on as usual, until near sundown, when
the whole party halted for the night, and, having built a fire, the
Indians required us to burn some tobacco and corn meal in the fire,
which was placed in our hands by them, which we did, not knowing why
we did so, except to obey them. We, however, supposed it might be to
show that they had been successful in their undertaking. The Indians
then prepared their supper, consisting of dried meat sliced, coffee
boiled in a copper kettle, corn pounded and made in a kind of soup;
they then gave us some of this preparation in wooden bowls, with
wooden ladles. We partook of those provisions, but did not relish
them, after which the Indians partook of their supper, prepared in the
same manner. After supper the warriors held a dance, and after the
dance concluded, we were conducted to a tent or wigwam, and a squaw
placed on each side of us, where we remained during this night,
sleeping what we could, which was but little. The Indians kept
stirring round all night. In the morning, breakfast in about the same
manner as supper. Breakfast over, the Indians cleared off a piece of
ground about 90 feet in circumference, and placed a pole about 25 feet
high in the center, and 15 or 20 spears set up around this pole, and
on the top of the spears were placed the scalps of our murdered
friends. Father’s, mother’s and Mr. Pettigrew’s were recognized by us.
There were also two or three hearts placed upon separate spears; then
squaws, under the directions of the warriors, as we understood it by
their jabbering, painted one side of our faces and heads red and the
other black, we being seated on our blankets near the center pole,
just leaving room for the Indians to pass between us and the pole.
Then the warriors commenced to dance around us with their spears in
their hands, and occasionally sticking them in the ground. And now we
expected at every round the spears would be thrust through us and our
troubles brought to an end, yet no hostile demonstration was made by
them toward us.
“After they had continued their dance about half an hour or more, two
old squaws led us away to one of their wigwams and washed the paint
off our faces, as well as they could, after scrubbing very hard. Then
the whole encampment struck tents and started in a northward
direction, while the whole earth seemed to be alive with Indians. This
being the third day of our suffering, we were very much exhausted, and
still we must obey the savage murderers, and while traveling now, we
were separated from each other during traveling hours, under charge of
two squaws to each of us, and being permitted to stay together when
not on the march under the direction of our four squaws, we now
traveled slowly over rough, barren prairie land until near sundown,
when we camped again, being left with our four squaws, with whom we
were always in company, day or night, they sleeping on each side of us
during the night.
“The warriors now held another dance, but not around us this time, as
before. Here we had all the maple sugar we desired, while the Indians
seemed to make as good preparations for our accommodation as they
could.
“About this time our dresses were changed, the Indians furnishing the
dresses. The one furnished Rachael was a red and white calico dress,
ruffled around the bottom. Sylvia’s was blue calico. The Indians now
tried to get us to throw away our shoes and put on moccasins, which we
would not do. They also threw away Rachael’s comb, and she went and
got it again and kept it. We now traveled and camped about as usual,
until the seventh day, when the Indians came to where we were and took
Sylvia off on to the side of a hill, about 40 rods from where we were
before, to where the Indians seemed to have been holding a council,