The Hall Sisters Spared.

[Robert Braun]

OK... we know that the attack on the Indian Creek settlement had few parallels for outright brutality. We also know that it was the Pottowatomie, and not the Sauk/Fox/Kickapoo that were responsible for the murders.

My question is: why were the Hall sisters spared?

It simply had to be more than the "luck of the draw"... particularly when older and certainly younger people were slain. Was it because they were teenage girls?

[gussie]

sometime before the Indian Creek Massacre. Two Potowatomi braves, Comee and Toquamee had attempted to "buy" Sylvia and Rachel Hall as brides.
They were, of course, rebuffed. This, in addition to the dispute over the damming of Indian Creek contributed to the causes of the massacre. When the winnebagoes under White Crow and Whirling Thunder "bought" the girls back it was from the two Potowatomis.

After the war, I believe, Comee and Toquamee were brought to trial for their part in the massacre, but the result of the trial is unclear to me.

                               Don Prentiss(gussie)

[Bugler Sean]

Well, orignially the hall sisters and thier brother (at least I believe it was thier brother)  were going ot be spared, but he was killed becasue he couldn't keep up with the Indian movements. Just a thought.

[Greg Carter]

A gentleman I work with has done some research into that matter and has uncovered information corroborating the "love interest" or marriage theory, too.

GMC

[Greg Carter]

I must admit I have never heard the angle about the brother. I have only heard the story of the two girls being swept off, so to speak.

GMC

[DrBill]

According to the DeKalb County History web site,

www.dekalbcounty-il.com/massacre.html

the seven year old boy killed on the trail after the massacre was James Davis the son on Mr. and Mrs. William Davis who where killed at the massacre. The William Davis, Jr., who survived the Indian Creek killings must , herefore, have been James' older brother. James was not the brother of the Hall sisters.

[Robert Braun]

Do we have a complete listing of the names of victims of the Indian Creek massacre?

Bob

[DrBill]

Again from the DeKalb County History web site, the victims were:

Mr. and Mrs. William Davis and four of their children
Mr. and Mrs. John Hall and one of their daughters
Mr. and Mrs. William Pettigrew and two of their children
Henry George
William Robert Norris

It is not clear whether 7 yo James Davis is included in the four Davis children listed.

[Robert Braun]

This is a good list. Has there been a listing that gives the names of the children as well?

Accounts seem to indicate that the massacre of the children was particularly brutal.

Bob.

[HallSon]

The entire affair was particularly brutal and atrocious. Don't believe the intent was to capture the girls, just an added bonus. The Hall family had been persuaded to return to Davis's farm as they had heard rumors of the pending attack and fled. Davi's found them camped on their way to town because his wife had also left while he (Davis) was out of town. He persuaded the Pettigrews and Hall's to return as he felt there was safety in numbers.
The Hall girls particularly Rachel had been previously admired by one of the young braves, however whether her Father William was ever asked or not has to my knowledge ever been ascertained. Neither Rachel nor Sylvia ever made mention of that, although they rarely discussed the gruesome details of the slaughter as well. Even John W. Hall who narrowly escaped down the creek could bring himself to describe the details. All 3, some 35 years later gave a pretty good account to William Horn in Nebraska. John did return to the massacre site the next day to assist in burying the dead. I assume they determined by tracking or witnesses in the field that the girls were captured. He joined the Militia the next day for a 20 day enlistment and proceeded on the hunt. The entire family were devout Methodists.

Mr. Hall killed- shot beside John in the shed near the house.
Mrs. Hall killed in the house
Elizabeth Hall 8 years old killed in the house.
Greenbury Hall planting corn in the field ran for Ottawa.
John W. Hall jumped in the creek with 2 others and stunned himself while falling, thus being hid from Indians directly above. He ran when he gained his senses. Two others that jumped in the creek were killed with muskets and were laying on the other side.
MAJ Reddick Horn, William Horn his son & his wife Sylvia Hall, and John Hall all migrated to Nebraska in 1950 with several other families related by marriage. First son of John Hall found himslef fighting at the Battle of White Stone Hill some 32 years later.....he also survived thank goodness. Politically right or wrong we're all still eating their food as some family member descendants are still farming.

[HallSon]

The entire affair was particularly brutal and atrocious. Don't believe the intent was to capture the girls, just an added bonus. The Hall family had been persuaded to return to Davis's farm as they had heard rumors of the pending attack and fled. Davi's found them camped on their way to town because his wife had also left while he (Davis) was out of town. He persuaded the Pettigrews and Hall's to return as he felt there was safety in numbers.
The Hall girls particularly Rachel had been previously admired by one of the young braves, however whether her Father William was ever asked or not has to my knowledge ever been ascertained. Neither Rachel nor Sylvia ever made mention of that, although they rarely discussed the gruesome details of the slaughter as well. Even John W. Hall who narrowly escaped down the creek could bring himself to describe the details. All 3, some 35 years later gave a pretty good account to William Horn in Nebraska. John did return to the massacre site the next day to assist in burying the dead. I assume they determined by tracking or witnesses in the field that the girls were captured. He joined the Militia the next day for a 20 day enlistment and proceeded on the hunt. The entire family were devout Methodists.

Mr. Hall killed- shot beside John in the shed near the house.
Mrs. Hall killed in the house
Elizabeth Hall 8 years old killed in the house.
Greenbury Hall planting corn in the field ran for Ottawa.
John W. Hall jumped in the creek with 2 others and stunned himself while falling, thus being hid from Indians directly above. He ran when he gained his senses. Two others that jumped in the creek were killed with muskets and were laying on the other side.
MAJ Reddick Horn, William Horn his son & his wife Sylvia Hall, and John Hall all migrated to Nebraska in 1950 with several other families related by marriage. First son of John Hall found himslef fighting at the Battle of White Stone Hill some 32 years later.....he also survived thank goodness. Politically right or wrong we're all still eating their food as some family member descendants are still farming.

[HallSon]

Correction on my last post. Some of the Hall's & Horn's obviously migrated by wagon train about 1850 not 1950. Resided in and around Peru Nebraska.

[Greg Carter]

"About four o'clock in the afternoon of May 20th, 1832, while the men were at work in the blacksmith shop, and the women busy with their household affairs, unconscious of danger from their red foe, a dog barked, when Mrs. Davis, on looking out at the door, exclaimed 'My God, here are the Indians now,' as seventy painted savages entered the door-yard.

Mr. Pettigrew, with a child in his arms, attempted to shut the door, but was shot down while doing so, and fell backwards on the floor. Part of the Indinas now rushed into the house, and with knives, spears and tomahawks commenced killing women and children, while others, with deafening yells, attacked the men at the blacksmith shop.

The assault being so sudden the men were unprepared to make a successful resistance, although their guns were close at hand, but before these could be brought to use, they were overpowered and killed.

William Hall was shot down instantly. Robert Norris had seized his gun and while in the act of shooting, he, too, was killed. William Davis, being a large, resolute man, with remarkable physical powers, defended himself for some time, using the breach of his gun (which was a heavy Kentucky rifle) over the heads of the savages, breaking the stock and bending the barrel in the fearful struggle, but at last he was overpowered and killed."

Part 1

[Greg Carter]

"Blood and hair were found on Davis' gun barrel, and the ground where his remains lay showed marks of a fearful conflict. Near by was a pool of blood where an Indian had lain, supposed to have been killed and his remains carried off by his comrades.

Henry George jumped into the mill-pond, but was shot while swimming across it and his body taken out of the water and scalped. One of Davis' sons, a lad of fourteen years, named William, made his escape by flight. John W., a son of William Hall, ran and jumped off the creek bank as many shots were fired at him. THe Indians supposing him killed, did not pursue, and by keeping close under the high creek bank and out of sight, he succeeded in making his escape.

When the Indians entered Davis' home, they, with loud yells, commenced killing the inmaktes; some were shot down, others dispatched with spears, knives or tomahawks. Mrs. Davis, in her fright, threw her arms around Rachel Hall, and when shot down the muzzle of the gun was so close as to burn the face of the latter to a blister. Mrs. Pettigrew was found with her infant clasped in her arms, both mother and child having their heads split open by a tomahawk, and lying in a bloody gore. An Indian took a small child belonging to Mr. Pettigrew, by the feet, and knocked out its brains against a stump in the door-yard. These Indians afterward said, in fiendish glee, that the women and children squalled like ducks when the stell entered their vitals.

Sylvia and Rachel Hall, in trying to escape from the murderers, jumped on the bed, but were caught by two Indians and dragged into the door-yard. Three young men, Edward and Greenberry Hall, and Alexander Davis, were at work in the field, bt on seeing the Indians killing their people, unhitched the oxen from the plow and fled in all haste for Ottawa."

Part 2

[Greg Carter]

" A short distance from Davis' cabin, lived Allen Howard, John and J.H. Henderson, who had taken their families to Ottawa a few days before and returned to work their claims, as previously stated. On hearing the firing of guns and yells of savages at Davis' cabin, and knowing the Indians were murdering their friends, they picked up their rifles and ran to their rescue, but on seeing the strength of the attacking party, knew assistance would be useless, and only sacrificing their own lives, therefore they turned about and fled to Ottawa.

FIFTEEN PERSONS KILLED, AND TWO GIRLS CAPTURED.

After the Indians had completed their work of horror, leaving fifteen dead bodies, scalped, and some of them mutilated in a shocking manner, they returned to the place where they left their ponies. They took with them a number of horses belonging to the murdered families, also, clothing, provisions, and every thing they could use. They shot horses, cattle and hogs; even chickens in the barn-yard did not escape their fury. Two daughters of WIlliam Hall, Sylvia, aged seventeen, and Rachel, fifteen, were taken prisoners and carried off into the Indian country.

They also took with them as a prisoner a little son of William Davis, James, a lad of seven years of age, but finding he could not travel so fast as they required, after going about one-half mile, they killed him. The two Indians who had him in charge, having hold of each hand, made him stand up to be shot. Little Jimmy as he was called, pale as death, stood like a marble statue, without moving a muscle, to receive the fatal shot, and while struggling in the agonies of death, the savages took off his scalp, leaving the body where it fell, to be devoured by dogs or wolves."

Part 3

MEMORIES OF SHAUBENA
N. Matson
2nd Edition
Chicago: Donnelley, Gassette & Loyd, Printers
1880
Pages 145-148

Last Note- This is my 300th posting on this board!- GMC