Posted by Champ on January 23, 1999 at 02:36:46:
Simon Girty - pt. 4
Upon the arrival of the Christian Indians and their teachers in the Sandusky country, in October, 1781, they were brought almost face to face with their arch-enemy at the Half King's residence. GIRTY was one of the plotters of the scheme which resulted in the breaking up of the missionary establishments upon the Muskingum. He seemed to take delight in rudely treating the missionaries while in their winter quarters near Sandusky. The Moravian Heckwelder says: "At one time, just as my wife had set down to what was intended for our dinner, the Half King, Simon GIRTY, and another Wyandot entered my cabin, and seeing the victuals ready, without ceremony began eating." In the final removal of the missionaries from the Indian country to Detroit, resulting in the entire disbanding of the Christian Indians, GIRTY was one of the chief instruments-a willing tool in the hands of the Half King-the power behind the throne.
Pomoacan was determined to drive the Moravians from the Sandusky. In April, just previous to the advent of CRAWFORD'S army, GIRTY tried to induce MCCORMICK, who was still a resident of the Half King's town, to write a letter to DE PEYSTER, at Detroit, for the Wyandot chief, implicating the missionaries as his enemies. But the trader refused. However, some one was found to write for him as he and GIRTY desired; and a response was soon received, ordering the Moravians to leave the country, and asking the Half King to give GIRTY assistance in bringing them and their families to Detroit.
On the 1st day of March, a messenger, sent by the Half King and GIRTY, arrived at the rude cabins of the missionaries, ordering them to appear before them the next morning to hear the letter read. Accordingly, two of them, ZEISBERGER and HECKWELDER, although the order was for all to go, started for the residence of the chief, nearly eight miles down the river, where they finally arrived after a toilsome walk through the deep snow, and found GIRTY and the Half King already waiting for them at the house of MCCORMICK. At the meeting GIRTY insulted the Moravians, giving them the letter to read, with a string of black wampum to intimidate them. He extorted a written pledge from these teachers to meet him at Lower Sandusky in two weeks, with all the missionaries and their families, to be conducted by him to Detroit.
On the morning of the 13th of March a Frenchman named Francis LEVALLIE, from Lower Sandusky, informed the missionaries that GIRTY had gone, with a war-party of Wyandots, against the border settlements upon the Ohio, and that he had been deputed to take his place. He told them, also, that GIRTY had ordered him to drive them before him to Detroit the same as if they were cattle, and not make a halt for the purpose of the women giving suck to their children; and that he should take them around the head of Lake Erie, and make them foot every step of the way. The humane Franchman saw fit, however, to disobey orders. He treated them kindly; and in four days journey brought them to Lower Sandusky, where they were hospitably received by ARUNDLE and ROBBINS, traders from Detroit, while LEVALLIE wrote DE PEYSTER to send boats for their transportation thence to their place of destination.