The Indian Wars, 1784-1787 123 



and they hated the Indians and looked down on 

 the weak Federal authority. 11 They often made 

 what were legally worthless "tomahawk claims," 

 and objected almost as much as the Indians to the 

 work of the regular Government surveyors. 12 Even 

 the men of note, men like George Rogers Clark, 

 were often engaged in schemes to encroach on the 

 land north of the Ohio, drawing on themselves 

 the bitter reproaches not only of the Federal au 

 thorities, but also of the Virginia Government, for 

 their cruel readiness to jeopardize the country by 

 incurring the wrath of the Indians. 13 The more 

 lawless whites were as little amenable to authority 

 as the Indians themselves; and at the very moment 

 when a peace was being negotiated one side or the 

 other would commit some brutal murder. While 

 the chiefs and old Indians were delivering long- 

 winded speeches to the Peace Commissioners, bands 

 of young braves committed horrible ravages among 

 the lonely settlements. 14 Now a drunken Indian 

 at Fort Pitt murdered an innocent white man, the 

 local garrison of regular troops saving him with 

 difficulty from being lynched; 15 now a band of white 

 ruffians gathered to attack some peaceable Indians 

 who had come in to treat; 18 again a white man 



11 Do., Report of H. Knox, April, 1787. 

 11 Do., 150, Vol. II, p. 548. 



13 Draper MSS. Benj. Harrison to G. R. Clark, August 19, 

 1784. 



14 State Dept. MSS., No. 56, pp. 279 and 333; No. 60, p. 

 297, etc. 



15 Denny's Journal, p. 259. 



18 State Dept. MSS., No. 56, p. 255. 



