St. Clair and Wayne 391 



the action of the traders on the Maumee, who went 

 to great expense in buying from the Shawnees Amer 

 icans whom they had doomed to the terrible torture 

 of death at the stake. 20 



Under such circumstances the treaties of course 

 came to naught. After interminable delays the In 

 dians either refused to treat at all, or else the acts 

 of those who did were promptly repudiated by those 

 who did not. In consequence throughout this period 

 even the treaties that were made were quite worth 

 less, for they bound nobody. Moreover, there were 

 the usual clashes between the National and State 

 authorities. While Harmar was trying to treat, the 

 Kentuckians were organizing retaliatory inroads; 

 and while the United States Commissioners were 

 trying to hold big peace councils on the Ohio, the 

 New York and Massachusetts Commissioners were 

 conducting independent negotiations at what is now 

 Buffalo, to determine the western boundary of New 

 York. 21 



All the while the ravages grew steadily more se 

 vere. The Federal officers at the little widely scat 

 tered forts were at their wits' ends in trying to pro 

 tect the outlying settlers and retaliate on the In- 



50 Do., Rinkin to Butler, July 2, 1788; St. Clair to Knox, 

 September 4, 1788. 



21 Do., Wilson and Rinkin to St. Clair, July 29, 1788. These 

 treaties made at the Ohio forts are quite unworthy of preser 

 vation, save for mere curiosity; they really settled nothing 

 whatever and conferred no rights that were not taken with 

 the strong hand ; yet they are solemnly quoted in some books 

 as if they were the real sources of title to parts of the North 

 west. 



