“_He once told a lie_”—was the emphatical expression of an Indian to me,
in 1794, when I was attending to the surveying of a large body of lands
in, what was then called, ‘The French-Creek Country,’ and West of the
Alleghany River: and, as some of my people were killed by the Western
Indians, I found it necessary, while the surveying was going on, to visit
the Indian Towns on the Alleghany River frequently:—they were inhabited
by the Senecas. General Wayne was then on his way, with his army, to the
Indian settlements on the Miami River.
One day, when I was at the Cornplanter’s town, the ‘_News-Spout_,’ as it
is called, was heard. All the Indians in the village immediately retired
to their houses (and even their dogs went with them;) when an old man
went out to meet the person who brought the news, and to take him to
the Long, or Council-House, where a fire was made and refreshments were
carried to him, and time given for him to dress and paint himself, so as
to appear decent.
When sufficient time had elapsed for the preparatives to be performed,
the chiefs went first to the house; and, as the young men were following,
I asked an Indian—who spoke English, and to whom (as he professed to be a
priest, physician, and conjurer) I gave the name of Doctor—whether there
was any impropriety in my going to hear the news. He said, “No”—and
that, as I was received as a friend and visiter, all their houses were
open to me: and if I did not go without any ceremony, it would appear as
if _I doubted their words and hospitality_; which was considered as the
greatest affront that could be put on an Indian. For that, if there was
any secret business going on they would inform me of it, in a friendly
way and then I might retire.
I accordingly went into the house with him; when the Chiefs immediately
rose, and gave me a seat among them.
All the Indians in the house were smoking their pipes when I came in;
and the stranger was sitting opposite the Chiefs, in a seat, or rather
a platform, by himself. The time appeared to me very long, as I was
anxious to hear the news; being much interested in the event, as the
Indians had been deliberating, whether or not they would permit me to
continue surveying, or send me out of the country: and, what surprised
me, was, that no one—contrary to their usual custom—asked him for the
news; and I was at a loss to account for their conduct. Eventually,
the Indian himself—after prefacing the business, with telling them,
he had no doubt,—as they knew he had been to the West—they would be
gratified in hearing his news. But no one appeared to signify his assent
or negative. The Indian then gave an account of an affair between a
convoy of Americans—who were carrying reinforcements and provisions
to one of our frontier posts—and the Indians; and they had killed the
commanding officer and a number of our men: and, after he had related all
he had to say, no one asked for any particulars of the action, or for
any corroborating circumstance; as I had formerly observed, they were
particularly polite to strangers and visiters, and were very cautious to
say or do any thing to hurt their feelings, and, soon after, the chiefs
and other Indians began to leave the house.
I left the house with the Doctor; and, as soon as we had passed the
door, I expressed my surprise to him, at the manner they treated the man
who brought the news, as it was so different from any treatment I had
before seen, when visited by strangers; and that I would thank him to
inform me of the cause of it:—when he, without any hesitation, and with
considerable emphasis, answered, “HE ONCE TOLD A LIE”—and continued:
“What that man said, may be so true; may be so not. We always listen
to what a newsman has to say,—even when we know him to be a liar. But,
whether we believe him or not, it is not our custom to let him know; or
to say any thing on the subject: for, if we had asked him any questions
about the fight, it would have been a great gratification to him; as he
would have concluded some of the company did believe him: which is a
thing we do not indulge any person in, who has been guilty of telling a
lie.” He concluded, by saying, “_He all one as dead._”