Lewis James Heatwole

“ Whenever the Indians were able to recognize nonresistant and peace-loving people, special care was taken to make distinction between them and others with whom they were on the war-path. In evidence of this we have the acount of friendship and deep sympathy shown to the Mennonites in the Schoharie Valley of New York in the year 1714, also those in Lancaster and other counties in Pennsylvania. ”

“ Mennonites as a people have never been known to come into aggressive or defensive conflict with the Indians. When Mennonites or Quakers were known by them, they were readily recognized as peace-loving and peace-practicing people who were not suspected in the least of betraying a league of confidence. ”

“ One of the first and earliest traits of the Indian character was to court the friendship and good will of their pale-faced neighbors. It was not until the principles of peace were ruthlessly violated by white men that the animal spirit in the Indian became aroused to acts of fury, desperation, and bloodshed. ”

“ For some time the Indians exacted by way of compensation the condition that when red men called at the home of a white man for something to eat, he was not to be refused. At a later period this privilege became abused to the degree that Indians began to travel through the settlements of white men in bands of twenty or more and the privilege of being fed from the white man's home was claimed as usual. ”

“ David Heatwole was the first deacon of the Mennonite Church in Virginia and Magdalene Weland Heatwole, his wife, was the great grandmother to the writer.
Other accounts of Indian outbreaks on Mennonite families might be given, but the circumstances are meagre in the details and not sufficiently authentic for record here. In a general way destruction to life and property by Indians against Mennonites are not so frequent, when compared with the numerous instances where people of other nationality and religious faith suffered greatly. ”

“ Under such circumstances the peace-loving Mennonites, many of whom were located along the border settlements at this time, became exposed to the savage fury of the Indians and along with that they were made to suffer the reproach and persecution of white men of other religious persuasions because they refused to assist them in wars of extermination on the Indian or to drive him away. ”

“ In about the year 1760 the Hartman family in Lebanon county, Pennsylvania, was raided by Indians while the mother and a son had gone to mill several miles from home. Several Indians entered the house where they killed the father and one son, and took the two remaining children, a son and a daughter named Regina, away with them as captives. The son was never heard from again, but Regina was taken to the Indian towns somewhere in the wilderness of Ohio and held as a captive for seven years, in which time she grew to womanhood. ”

“ These conditions became the cause for unrest on the part of the Indians themselves, as well .as for trouble and anxiety to whites along all border settlements of the east. Being a child of nature, the red man gave evidence of being heart-broken and disappointed because of having to give up extensive hunting ground areas without any reimbursement. Some tribes did not give up without a struggle. ”