a8o The Winning of the West 



atrocious treachery and cruelty. He led some forty 

 men to Chilhowa 32 on the Tennessee; opposite a 

 small town of Cherokees, who were well known to 

 have been friendly to the whites. Among them 

 were several chiefs, including an old man named 

 the Corn Tassel, who for years had been foremost 

 in the endeavor to keep the peace, and to prevent 

 raids on the settlers. They put out a white flag; 

 and the whites then hoisted one themselves. On 

 the strength of this, one of the Indians crossed the 

 river, and on demand of the whites ferried them 

 over. 33 Sevier put the Indians in a hut, and then 

 a horrible deed of infamy was perpetrated. Among 

 Sevier's troops was young John Kirk, whose mother, 

 sisters, and brothers had been so foully butchered 

 by the Cherokee Slim Tom and his associates. 

 Young Kirk's brutal soul was parched with longing 

 for revenge, and he was, both in mind and heart, 

 too nearly kin to his Indian foes greatly to care 

 whether his vengeance fell on the wrongdoers or 

 on the innocent. He entered the hut where the 

 Cherokee chiefs were confined and brained them with 

 his tomahawk, while his comrades looked on with 

 out interfering. Sevier's friends asserted that at 

 the moment he was absent; but this is no excuse. 

 He knew well the fierce blood lust of his followers, 

 and it was criminal negligence on his part to leave 

 to their mercy the friendly Indians who had trusted 



81 State Dept. MSS., No. 150, Vol. III. Thos. Hutchings 

 to Martin, July u, 1788. 



83 State Dept. MSS., No. 150, Vol. III. Hutchings to Max 

 well, June 20, 1788. Hutchings to Martin, July n, 1788. 



