44 SIOUAN TRIBES OF THE EAST. [ethnoujov 



As is always the case when wild tribes coine in contact with civili- 

 zation, tbe result was rapid degradation tbrougli the work of unprin- 

 cipled white men, who aided in their destruction by debauching their 

 morals and ruining their systems with liquor, resulting in continual 

 (juarreling and bloodshed. 



The one bright spot in tbe darkening history of the dying tribes is 

 the effort made by Governor Spotswood to have their children edu- 

 cated, but this also ended in failure, as seems to be the fate of every 

 attempt at nuiking the Indian a white num. During the war with the 

 Tuskarora, in 1711-1712, this energetic and benevolent Virginia gov- 

 ernor conceived the idea of secnring the fidelity of the smaller tribes 

 aud advancing their younger generation in civilization by putting the 

 children of the chiefs into the college established for the purpose at 

 Williamsburg by Mr Boyle. In this Avay he hoped to accomplish 

 lasting good results for the Indians, while at the same time securing 

 hostages for their good behavior. lie also sent a schoolmaster to the 

 Sapoui, at an annual salary of 50 pounds, to instruct their children. 

 For this purpose he selected Charles Griflin, described as "a man of a 

 good family, who, by the innocence of his life, and the sweetness of his 

 temper, was perfectly well qualify'd for the pious undertaking. Besides, 

 he had so much the secret of mixing i^lensure with instruction, that he 

 had not a scholar, Avho did not love him affectionately." So gentle a 

 Avorker could hardly fail to accomplish good, but in the midst of his 

 labor he was called away to the college and the Saponi were left to 

 their original barl)arism, so that the onl}^ result of his teaching was to 

 make them somewhat cleaner in habit than other Indians (Byrd, 9). 



Notwithstanding their vicinity to the whites, the Saponi were still 

 subjected to the inroads of the Iroquois, even under the guns of Fort 

 Christanna. In April, 1717, a party of Catawba and others of the 

 smaller tribes of South Carolina, who had been engaged in the Yamasi 

 war, arrived at the fort to conclude a i)eace and leave a number 

 of their children to be educated as a pledge of their good faith. While 

 camjied outside the fort, having jireviously delivered up their arms to 

 the commander, they were attacked during the night by a party of 

 Iroquois who Icilled five and carried off a number of prisoners, including 

 the chief of the Catawba. From one of the prisoners who made his 

 escape it was learned that the Iroquois had come down to surprise the 

 Saponi, and that they threatened to return in a short time aud mas- 

 sacre the whole tribe, with any of the whites who might be disposed to 

 befriend them. On being called to account for this outrage by the 

 English representatives at Albany, the Iroquois claimed that the 

 Catawba themselves, whom also they called Toderiehroone, had acted 

 treacherously three years before in killing five of their men while asleep, 

 the night after they had made a treaty of peace. They declared that 

 all the Indians in those southern parts had been for a long time the 

 enemies of the Iroquois, who liad such hatred against them that they 

 bad even taken them prisoners out of the very houses of the Christians. 



