Skinner: The Massacre of the Lenape Indians 55 



There came flying to my house, four or five hundred Indians, 

 desiring that I would protect them. I answered that I could 

 not do it as the Indians at Fort Orange were our friends, and 

 that we could not interfere with their wars ; that I now saw that 

 they were children, and that they were flying on all sides from 

 eighty to ninety men where they themselves were so many hun- 

 dred strong: that it was pleasing to me that they should be 

 soldiers, as it was to mannetoe himself — that is to say the devil ; 

 but that I saw now they were only children. As my house was 

 full of Indians, and I had only five men with me, I made ready 

 to go to the Fort to obtain some soldiers for the purpose of hav- 

 ing more force in my house. So I took a canoe as my boat was 

 frozen up in the Kill, and went in the canoe or hollow tree, 

 which is their boat, as before related, between the cakes of ice, 

 over the river to Fort Amsterdam where I requested the Gov- 

 ernor Kieft to assist me .with some soldiers, as I was not master 

 of my own house, because it was so full of Indians, although I 

 was not afraid they would do any harm : but it was proper I 

 should be master in my own house. The Governor said he had 

 no soldiers ; that I must see how it would be in the morning, and 

 stop at night with him, which I did. The next day the Indians 

 came in troops on foot from my house to Pavonia. ... I spoke 

 to some of them and they said they had all left my house. 



" The 24th of February sitting at a table with the Governor, 

 he began to state his intentions, that he had a mind to ' wipe the 

 mouths of the Indians.' I answered that there was not sufficient 

 reason to undertake it . . . but it appeared that my speaking 

 was of no avail. He had, with his co-murderers, determined to 

 commit the murder deeming it a Roman deed, and to do it with- 

 out warning the inhabitants in the open lands, that each one might 

 take care of himself against the retaliation of the Indians, for he 

 could not kill all the Indians. . . . So was- this business begun 

 between the 25th, and 26th of February in the year 1643. I 

 remained that night at the Governors, sitting up. I went and 

 sat in the kitchen, when about midnight I heard great shrieking 



