Witchcraft in Early North America - Alison Games [125]
deceiver. They were so full of their superstition that they would tell him beforehand whom they suspected. This instrument of the Devil had nothing to do but to confirm their suspicions, then they were satisfied because it was in accordance with their own ideas. For this reason we were quite uncertain how poor Joshua would fare, for the visiting Indian’s report did not set our hearts at rest. We were therefore very glad when, on the afternoon of the 16th, a well-known Indian arrived who could talk English fluently and who had not gone to the assembled savages. Imagine our horror when we heard that the expected Schawano had come to the assembled Indians the day before. All Indians of both sexes formed a circle about this miscreant so that he might point out those who had poison or other supernatural gifts which relate to their superstition. After a great many ceremonies he accused a number of having poison with which they brought about the death of Indians in all sorts of ways. The two old chiefs, Tedpachsit and Hackingpomska, were accused of having poison, the first named being especially charged with the death of a large number of Indians. Now they had heard what they desired. The wild young people took all these unjustly condemned captives and guarded them closely. We also heard that the raging savages had burned alive an old woman named Caritas, who had been baptized by the Brethren in olden times, and that our poor Joshua was likewise a captive. How we felt when we heard this sad news may be better imagined than described. Although we had been told that they would not murder him, we had no rest day or night and from anxiety we could neither eat nor sleep, because we distrusted the superstition and rage of the wild ones, especially so because we know that they hate the believing Indians.
17th. Our worry and perplexity over the fate of our Joshua increased. We were overcome with terror and fright when all of a sudden we saw ten Indians with their faces painted black, some on foot, others on horseback, coming into our village with old Chief Tedpachsit. Soon after these barbarians built a large fire near our place, struck the old Chief on the head with the hatchet and threw him half-alive into the fire. Meanwhile they stood near and rejoiced over the pitiful cries and movements of the unfortunate one. The plain south of our village and the woods caught fire so that our village was full of smoke and fumes. Our feelings under this trial cannot be described. We realized that we were in the midst of a band of murderers, without human help, and all the while were tortured by the uncertain fate of our poor Br. Joshua.
After the murder the monsters, quite wild, came into the house, boasted of the awful deed, put on a hypocritical front and demanded something to eat and tobacco to smoke. We gladly gave them both so as to get rid of them. We summoned up courage as well as we could and asked what had become of our Joshua. They immediately began to accuse him of their abominable superstition and said that it was not for nothing that he was a prisoner; that they knew full well that he was familiar with the black art and could destroy the lives of Indians or cause them to become lame; that he merely pretended to be a believer of our teaching, etc. We did our best to show them that their charge was groundless, but in vain. To calm us, they assured us that they would not put him to death. We therefore sent with them a message to the captain of the savages admonishing them to be careful what they should do and saying that Joshua was an old believer and had nothing to do with the things they accused him of, for he belonged to God and has nothing to do with the works of the Devil, that in addition to this he was a Mohican, and as they well knew had come with us as our interpreter; that we requested therefore that they should release him at once, for what they did to him they might consider as being