Header img
Beyond Penn's Treaty

Account of I. Coates, J. Sharpless, & J. Pierce, visits to Indian Reservation, NY

Page out of 117

ing us down in the canoe, upon which
he readily received it.

27th 2nd day.

Our young men arrived and about
12 o'clock the Indians were generally collected in
council, there being 5 or 6 women also present.

Early in the opportunity, Cornplanter

made a
pretty long speech, which did not appear to
be directed to us, but was for an Indian
there in the house,* * as our interpreter afterward told us. who had been charged with
murdering a white man: for which he had
been tried but being aquitted, was now at
liberty, the expensive of which had cost Cornplanter
$200. The Chiefs speech appeared to be delivered
with much earnestness, and seriousness.

He then addressed himself to us, expressing
his satisfaction in seeing us all in good health &c.
He then informed us they were now ready to hear
what we had to say to them.

After this information we sat a few
minutes in silence, wherein we felt an earnest
desire that we might be renewedly favored with
best direction in our communications &c. to these
people. Inward stillness, or anything like it,
is a state of mind that only a few of them appear
to be acquainted with. We were, in a short
time, favored with a degree of weight and strength