In the late days of September 1776, negotiators William Wilson and Joseph Nicholson left Fort Pitt, now Pittsburgh, to persuade the tribes north and west of the Ohio not to join the British. They traveled with Cornstalk and other Indians for support. When they arrived at this village, few people were there, and they did not know that Pluggy and Commander Hamilton had already met and that Pluggy had sided with the British. The next day, according to Wilson, the Mingoes gathered at the home of a French blacksmith to counsel, and the blacksmith warned him that they had decided to seize Wilson and Nicholson and take them prisoner to Detroit the following day. That night the Mingoes asked the negotiators to remain another day, and Wilson answered in a way that seemed to satisfy them. He then consulted Cornstalk and the Delawares, who warned that the Mingoes meant to deceive them and advised them to flee that night and try to reach Cooshocking, a Delaware town. During the night, they escaped.

Photo: Dale K. Benington

Photo: Dale K. Benington

Photo: Dale K. Benington