eir retaliatory parties into the Indian lands, and soon the
innocent Indians suffered with the guilty, for the frontiersmen had no
means of distinguishing between them. The Indians who visited the
settlements with peaceful intent were of course at any time liable to be
mistaken for their brethren who were hostile, or else to be attacked by
scoundrels who were bent upon killing all red men alike. Thus, on one
day, as Blount reported, a friendly Indian passing the home of one of
the settlers was fired upon and wounded; while in the same region five
hostile Indians killed the wife and three children of a settler in his
sight; and another party stole a number of horses from a station; and
yet another party, composed of peaceful Indian hunters, was attacked at
night by some white militia, one man being killed and another wounded.
[Footnote: State Department MSS., Washington Papers, War Department, Ex.
C., page 19, extract of letter from Blount to Williamson, April 14,
1792.]

Scolacutta, the Friendly Cherokee.

One of the firm friends of the whites was Scolacutta, the chief of the
Upper Cherokees. He tried to keep his people at peace, and repeatedly
warned the whites of impending attacks, Nevertheless, he was unwilling
or unable to stop by force the war parties of Creeks and Lower Cherokees
who came through his towns to raid against the settlements and who
retreated to them again when the raids were ended. Many of his young men
joined the bands of horse-thieves and scalp-hunters. The marauders
wished to embroil him with the whites, and were glad that the latter
should see the bloody trails leading back to his towns. For two years
after the signing of the treaty of Holston the war parties thus passed
and repassed through his country, and received aid and comfort from his
people, and yet the whites refrained from taking vengeance; but the
vengeance was certain to come in the end.

His Village Attacked.

In March, 1793, Scolacutta's nearest neighbor, an Indian living next
door to him in his own town, and other Indians of the nearest towns,
joined one of the war parties which attacked the settlements and killed
two unarmed lads. [Footnote: American State Papers, Blount's letter,
March 20, 1793. Scolacutta was usually known to the whites as Hanging
Maw.] The Indians did nothing to the murderers, and the whites forbore
to attack them; but their patience was nearly exhausted. In June
following a captain, John Beard, wit