THE DEERFIELD SCOUT, Concluded

 

 

The GOFA (1912) describes briefly the “scout” which contains the first mention we have of Jabez. We conclude this narrative, taken from Sheldon, George, "A History of Deerfield, Massachusetts: The Times When and the People by Whom it was Settled, Unsettled and Resettled; with a Special Study of the Indian Wars in the Connecticut Valley, with Genealogies", Deerfield, MA, 1895.  pp 386-372.

 

And we also received Several Shoots from those y^t  were above us, which Landed on y^e other side of the River. Now we being under no advantage to defend ourselves we every one made y^e best of our way and shirked for our Selves & in a short Time Capt Write & 5 of his men got together, three more yet missing. The next Day came 2 more to us where we hid some of our Provisions & there waiting some hours for the other man. But he came not while we tarried there, whereas Capt. Write thinking best to leave a Suitable quantity of Provisions and other necessaries in Case he ever came it might be of service to him in his journey homeward. It being one John Burt of Northampton. Then seting forward on our Journey homewards & Came to our Canoas that we left on White River then we got into them & came down y^e river to y^e mouth of it, where we left 6 men formally mentioned in our History. And finding them gone, then we set forward homeward & after we had got home, those six men formally mentioned Informed us w^t they had Litt of 6 Days after we left them. These 6 men espied a Cano of 2 Indians Coming Down the River & called to them not knowing but y^t  that they was Scattocooks but they refused to come to them & paddled to the contrary shore. Then they fired wounding one, but they geting to the shore Left y^e Canoa & plunder. After that y^e men made y^e best of their way home And some Time after they were got home was Informed y^t they were Scattecooks.

 

Now returning to our former Story, having an account of two of those Captives y^t  were with y^e indians that we Litt of on y^e french river, are now returned home, & gave us an account y^t  we then killed 4 Indians. And Moody that we had taken from them we Lost again, we being then in such a fright, every one took to his heals, But moody being so weak & feeble was not able to follow, now after this the Indians all gathered together on the other Shore, & Moody seeing them hallowed to them to fetch him over & one came & after they had got him over they Burnt him on the Spot. We was informed also y^t  wⁿ the Indians got to Canada they Burnt one more of these Captives Andrew Gilman by name. Now to say a little more concerning Burt, what became of him, having some Transient stories y^t  a mans bones, and a gun was found by some Indians above y^e Great Falls upon Connect^t River about 60 miles above Deerfield, which some think was s^d Burt.   

 

The number of Days we was taking this march was 32, and the men's Names are as follows:

 

Capt Benjⁿ Write of North^ton

Levi^t John Wells, killed, of Deer^d

Henry Write, of Spring^d

Timothy Childs, of Deer^d

Johⁿ Hoit, of Deer^d

Jabez Olmstead, Deer^d

John Burt, Lost, North^ton

[John Strong, Northampton, wounded, see above.]

Jose^h Ephraim

Thomas Pagan                         ,Indians of Natick

 

The other 6 men y^t set out w^th us y^t we left at y^e mouth of White River are as follows:

 

Eben^r Severance of Deer^d

Math^t Clesson of North^ton [later of Deerfield.]

Thomas McCranne of Spring^d

Joseph Wait of Hatf^d, [son of Benjamin Waite.]

Josp. Root of Hatfield.

The other we cannot at present call by name. [Doubtless John King of Northampton.]”

 

In a petition to the General Court of May 28th, 1709, the survivors say concerning the affair on the lake:

            "We judge we killed 4 of the enemy, & one in special. One we got and scalped him, which scalp we now present."

 

Col. Partridge, in forwarding this paper, says: "They also declared that they are very certain that they killed 4 as above &  that on French River they killed 4 more—8 in all. This they affirm to me."

 

De Vaudreuil, giving an account of these affairs, in a dispatch to Ponchartrain says, two were killed on the lake, and one on the river, and that four or five of the English party were killed at the latter place. Possibly one or both of the Naticks were lost.

 

Captain Wright was allowed £12, and the others £6 each. Bills for losses were paid as follows :-—

 

[Following in Shelden is a list of losses substained by members of the scout, and the amount allowed them. COH]

 

Jabez Omstead,                      blanket, 10 s

                                             snapsack, 2s 6d

                                             hatchet,  2s 6d,

                                             Total               0 15 0

 

Judd says that William Moody, whose attempted rescue was attended with such disastrous results, was by the Macqua Indians tortured to death and eaten.