LANCASTER COUNTY. 203 



it is false, for we never hurt theTwechtweys; and about 

 eighteen days since, I received an express from the Iron 

 Works at Mahanatawny,* acquainted me that eleven 

 foreign Indians, painted for war, and armed with guns, 

 pistols and swords, were come amongst our inhabitants, 

 plundering them and taking away their provisions by 

 force, whereupon some of our people, to the number of 

 twenty men, with arms, went to speak to them civilly, 

 but the Indians fired upon them and wounded some of 

 them; our men likewise fired on the Indians and 

 wounded some of them also, but the Indians fired first.t 

 It was very ill done to fire. 



As soon as I heard this account, I took my horse and 

 went to Mahanatawny, with several gentlemen of 

 Philadelphia; but the Indians were gone off. I found 

 our people believed there were more coming, and there- 

 fore some hundreds met together with their arms to defend 

 themselves in case the Indians should attfick them. As 

 I was returning home, I heard news that grieved me 

 exceedingly. I was told that two or three furious men 

 amongst us had killed three of our Indian friends and 

 hurt two girls. I went back mourning, and sent out 

 men to take the murderers, Avho were accordingly taken, 

 and they are now in irons in a dungeon to be tried by 

 the laws of the Great King of all the English, as if they 

 had killed so many of his own subjects. I have likewise 

 caused search to be made for the dead bodies, and two 

 women were found murdered, who, by my order, were 

 laid in a grave and covered with shirts and strowds. I 

 hear likewise that the dead body of an Indian man has 

 been found and was buried. 



*About 30 miles above Philadelphia, in Berks county. 



fThey were non-resident Indians, headed by a Spanish 

 Indian.—CoL Rec. III. 321. 



