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1630 - 1649 |
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Rumors of Treachery on the Part of
Miantonomo
News from
Connecticut of Hostile Indian Alliance
Cutahamekin,
Passaconaway, and Miantonomo are disarmed
Two Sachems Desire to be Received
Under Massachusetts Government Text of the Agreement with the
Sachems War Between Uncas and Miantonomo Indian War Against Uncas Prevented Mrs. Hutchinson and her Family
Killed by Indians Near Manhattan Pumham asks aid
against the Narragansetts Peace arranged
between the Mohegans and Narragansetts Uncas remonstrated with for Attacking at
Pequot River Rev. John Eliot's
Methods of Instructing Indians Connecticut Paugaussett Indians
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Miantonomo Questioned 1642 Mo. 7. (September) 8.] According to those considerations,
we returned answer to Connecticut, and withal we sent two men with two interpreters,
an Englishman and an Indian, to Miantunnomoh, to let him know what
intelligence we had of his frawing the rest of the Indians into a
confederation against us, and of his purpose to make his son sachem of
Pequod, and of other things which were breaches of the league he made with
us, and to desire him to come by such a time to give us satisfaction about
them. If he refused to come, and gave them no satisfactory answer, then
to let him know that he regarded not our friendship, he would give us occasion
to right ourselves. And instruction was given them, that if he gave
them occasion, they should tell him the reason of our disarming the Indians,
and excuse the injury done tp Passaconamy, to be a mistake and without our
order. The messengers coming to him, he carried them apart into the
woods, taking only one of his chief men with him, and gave them very rational
answers t all their propositions, and promised also to come over to us, which
he did within the time prefixed. When he came, the court was assembled, and
before his admission, we considered how to treat with him, (for we knew him
to be a very subtile man,) and agreed upon the points and order, and that
nonw should propound any thing to him but the governor, and it any other of
the court had any thing material to suggest, he should impart it to the
governor. Being called in, and mutual salutations passed, he
was set down at the lower end of the table, over against the governor, and had
only two or three of his counsellors, and two or three of our neighboring
Indians, such as he desired, but would not speak of any business at any time,
before some of his counsellors were present, alleging, that he would have
them present, that they might bear witness with him, at his return home, of
all his sayings. In all his answers he was very deliberate and showed good understanding in the principles of justice and equity, and ingenuity withal. He demanded that his accusers might be brought forth, to the end, that if they could not make good what they had charged him with, they might suffer what he was worthy of, and must have expected, if he had been found guilty, viz., death. We answered, we knew them not, nor were they within our power, nor would we give credit to them, before we had given him knowledge of it, according to our agreement with him. He replied, if you did not give credit to it, why then did you disarm the Indians. We answered, for our security, and because we had been credibly informed that some of the eastern Indians had lately robbed divers Englishmen's houses at Saco, and taken away their powder and guns. shesabo@netzero.net |
