The next morning they were astir early and preparing for a start, and were sober and very quiet. Father walked out among them and called the attention of some of the Indians to the pigs in the pen and holding up three fingers made them understand that there were three pigs last night and only two this morning. They looked very innocent and exclaimed, "Wawhaugh! waugh! no good, no good!" meaning that whoever took them was not good. The pigs were six months old and of fine breed.
The Indians were not commonly thievish. They did not steal from each other and very rarely from the whites; and in that thinly settled country, where neighbors were miles apart, I never heard of but one instance of a white woman being molested, and then no personal harm was offered her, but two drunken Indians demolished dishes and furniture in her husband's absence.
The squaws were very modest and virtuous, Okonoksee, the chief, did not stop his young warriors to restrain them in their violent demonstrations toward the whites, and the whites though he did not care to. He was intoxicated almost all the time, and every year he became worse and worse. His little son, "General Wayne", sickened and died. All his children were now dead except two daughters; one of them was married to a brave, noble Indian, and their little son was the last direct heir to the chief-ship.
In a drunken frolic at the village one night, Okonoksee sought a quarrel with his son-in-law, and drew a knife threatening to kill him. The young man stepped into his wigwam, not because he was a coward, but to get out of the way of the drunken man,but the chief followed and stabbed him to the heart, killing him instantly, and either with design or a stagger he plunged the knife which he still held in his hand into his little grandson that was sitting on his mother's lap, killing him also. The indignation against him was very great. The chiefs of the other villages came to Okonoksee's village to try him for the crime.
They sat in council for three days, and decided that he must die. An Indian brought word to Defiance that he was to be beheaded the next day. Messre. Preston and Kepler, and my brothers and some others, went up to the village to see, as they supposed, the last of the old chief. When they got there the Indians men were formed in a circle with the condemned man sitting on the ground in the midst, his arms folded, his head bowed, and his good, faithful wife by his side. The Indians made room for the whites to join the circle. The chiefs were in council in a wigwam set apart for that purpose. After a time the chiefs came out, and walked up to the condemned chief. One of them made a speech; then they all walked around him. Having done this, the oldest chief, with some words, laid one hand on Okonoksee's head and the other hand on his mouth; and all the chiefs in turn said and did the same. The words were evidently the reprieve from the sentence of the day before, and the announcement of his punishment. The laying the hands on the mouth was to signify that it was to be closed in council and in authority, and that he was divested of his chief ship.
This ceremony being ended, they brought a young Indian, a distant relative of the old chief, into the circle. They put a wampum belt and some silver ornaments, and with other ceremonies, which I have forgotten, they installed him chief. Everyone, both Indian and whites, were dissatisfied with "George," the new chief.
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