54 Staten Island Association of Arts and Sciences 



offer to the director, who refused it and demanded the murderer. 



It was impossible for the chiefs to bring him in as he had fled 

 elsewhere, and as their offer was again renewed and refused 

 they returned with troubled minds to their homes. 



In February, 1643, a party of eighty Mohicans (not Mohawks, 

 as has often been stated) armed with rifles made a raid upon the 

 Indians of Manhattan and above, who with the local Indians, 

 fled to the fort for protection as they were unable to cope with 

 an enemy bearing firearms. The Dutch cared for these fugitives 

 for about two weeks, after which they returned to their homes, 

 but shortly another alarm sent them running to the fort. Kieft 

 was importuned by a committee of twelve citizens to permit them 

 to attack the defenseless Indians. He did so as follows — " We, 

 therefore, hereby authorize Maryn Andriansen, at his request, 

 with his associates, to attack a party of savages skulking behind 

 Corlear's Hook, or plantation, and act with them in such manner 

 as they shall deem proper and the time and opportunity shall 

 permit. Sergeant Rodolf is commanded and authorized to take 

 under his command a troop of soldiers and lead them to Pavonia, 

 and drive away and destroy the savages behind Jan Evertsen's, 

 but to spare as much as possible, their wives and children, and 

 take -the savages prisoners . . . this exploit to be executed at 

 night, with the greatest caution and prudence. Our God may 

 bless the Expedition. Done February 24th, 1643." Ocallaghan, 

 1 : 267, 268. 



De Vries did his best to stop this bloody enterprise, but with- 

 out success. What followed we give in his own words (taken 

 from the Annual Archaeological Report of the Provincial Museum 

 of Toronto for 1894-5, p. 75, where De Vries. is quoted as 

 follows) : 



" Anno 1643. The 22nd of February, there broke out a war 

 among the Indians. The Mayekandus who came from Fort 

 Orange, wanted to levy a contribution upon the Indians of 

 Wickquasgeck and Tapaen and of the adjacent villages. There 

 were eighty to ninety of them each with a eun on his shoulder. 



