168 HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY. [1688. 



Marple." This refers to the earliest erected mill on Cobb's 

 Creek, known as " Haverford Mill." 



The Grand Jury of this year fully maintain the character of 

 that tribunal in these times, for vigilance and diligence. Be- 

 sides what has been mentioned, and a variety of other present- 

 ments, all the roads formerly laid out were reviewed by them, 

 without being more definitely located, or having their routes 

 materially changed. A new road was also laid out from Thorn- 

 bury to Middletown. 



Notwithstanding the kind feelings that had been cultivated 

 between the natives and the English settlers, the latter were not 

 entirely free from apprehensions of danger. This is shown by 

 a great alarm that prevailed this year, which was caused by two 

 Indian women of New Jersey, communicating to an old Dutch 

 inhabitant near Chester^ the report of an intended insurrection 

 of the Indians, which was to happen on the next fourth day of 

 the week. Several influential Friends, being sensible that no 

 reasonable cause for such an attack could exist, endeavored to 

 appease tlie people. But the apprehension of danger, as is 

 usual, increased the evidence of its existence. About 10 o'clock 

 on the night preceding the dreaded day, a messenger arrived at 

 Chester, out of the woods, and told the people that three families, 

 about nine miles distant, were all cut off by the Indians. A 

 Friend, then at Chester with two young men, about midnight 

 proceeded to the reported scene of the outrage. They found 

 empty houses, but no evidence of murder ; their occupants under 

 the prevailing alarm, having fled to the houses of their parents 

 at Ridley Creek. The master of one of these families, being 

 from home, had been informed that five hundred Indians were 

 actually collected at Naaman's Creek in pursuit of their design 

 to kill the English. So much was he alarmed, that as he was 

 approaching his house, he imagined he heard his boy crying out 

 " What shall I do, my Dame is Killed.'' Instead therefore of 

 going to his house, he ran off to acquaint the government at 

 Philadelphia, but was persuaded to return. The report, how- 

 ever, soon reached the city, when a messenger was immediately 

 dispatched to Marcus Hook to inquire into the truth of it. He 

 quickly returned with a confirmation of the report in a varied 

 form — the 500 Indians were at an Indian town on the Brandy- 

 wine ; and having a lame king, they had carried him off together 

 with all their women and children. 



The Council were sitting in Philadelphia, when one of them,' 



1 Proud, from whose history this account has been substantially copied, supposes 

 this member to have been Caleb Pusey, but Caleb was not a member of Council that 

 year. He was a member of the Assembly in ] 687. There is no reference to an Indian 

 insurrection in the minutes of Council for 1088, but the minutes for 1C89, show that 

 considerable alarm existed on account of au anticipated attack from both the French 

 and the Indians. 



