To the Editors
Gentleman
On my way to York Pennsylvania, I got the Intelligencer of
the 27th ult. (at the post office) I observed the following
paragraph: "They have known an Indian to a lie in council"-which
is so much at variance with anything I have ever seen or observed
among them from the year 1785 to 1794 inclusive, in each of which
years I spent from five to nine months in the woods surveying of
lands, and in which time I was frequently in their towns or had
some of them in the woods with me as friends every year, and I
never knew them to trespass the rules of good breeding; which
induces me to send you the enclosed fact at which I was present .
John Adlum
October 4th 1825
"He once told a lie" - was emphatical language used to me by
an Indian in the year 1794, when I was attending to the surveying
of a large body of land in what was then called French Creek
country and west of the Allegheny River and as some of my people
were killed by the Western Indians I found it necessary while the
surveying was going on to visit the Indian towns on the Allegheny
River, frequently ; they were inhabited by the Seneca's. General
Wayne was then on his way with his army to the Indians settlements
on the Miami River of the Lake. One day when I was at the
CornPlanter's town the new's shout (as it was called) was heard;
all the Indian's in the village immediately retired to their homes
(and even their dogs went with them) when an old man went out to
meet the person who brought the news and to take him to the Long
or Council House were afire was made and refreshments were carried
to him and time given for him to dress and paint himself so as to
appear decent. When sufficient time had elapsed for these
operations to be performed the Chiefs went first to the house, and
as the young men were following I asked an Indian who spoke
English and to whom (as he professed to be a priest, physician,
and conjurer), I gave the name of Doctor, whether there was any
impropriety in my going to hear the news? He said "no" and that as
I was received as a friend and visitor all the houses were opened
to me and if I did not go without any ceremony it would appear I
doubted their words and hospitality which was considered as the
greatest affront that could be put on an Indian.
For if there were any secret business going on they would
inform me of it in a friendly way and then I might retire. I
accordingly went into the house with him, when the Chiefs
immediately rose and gave me a seat among them ; all the Indians
in the hose were smoking their pipes when I came in and the
stranger was sitting opposite the Chiefs on a seat or rather a
platform by himself; the time appeared too me very long as I was
anxious to hear the news , being much interested in the event as
the Indians had been deliberating whether or not they would permit
me to continue to continue surveying or send me out of the
country, and what surprised me was that contrary to their usual
custom asked him for the news, and I was at a loss to account for
their conduct.
Eventually, the Indian himself after prefacing the business
with telling them he had no doubt as they knew he had been to the
West they would be gratified in hearing his news to which no one
in the company appear to assent or to negative; he then gave an
account of an affair between a convoy of American's (who were
carrying reinforcements and provisions to one of our frontier
posts) and the Indians, and that they had killed the commanding
officer and a number of our men; and after he had related the all
he had no one asked for any particulars of the action or for any
corroborating evidence which appeared to very unaccountable, as I
had formerly observed, they were very polite to strangers and
visitors , and were very cautious to do or say anything to hurt
their feelings and soon after the Chiefs and the other Indians
began to leave the house.
I left the house with the Doctor and as soon as we had passed
the door, I expressed my surprise to him at the manner they
treated the man who brought the news as it was so different from
any treatment I had before seen when visited by strangers and that
I would thank him to inform me of the cause of it. When he
without any hesitation and with considerable emphasis answered "He
once told a lie" and continued "what that man said may be so true"
"may be so not" we always listen to what a news man has to say,
even when we know him to be a liar. But whether we believe him or
not it is not our custom to let him know or say anything on the
subject. for if we ask him any questions about the fight, it
would be a great gratification to him as he would have concluded
that some of the company did believe him which a thing we do not
indulge any person in who has once been guilty of telling a lie,
and concluded by saying : "He all one as dead!"
