Show nto r jan an dm M C re 0 4 m P afu Q N 2 A fill U Z J tv 1 9 t J f 1 abu cb T by ELMO SCOTT WATSON f OST americans americana know that the assassination of the aus austrian t alan archduke at sara bevo S serbia in 1814 1914 was the spark which set oft tho the greatest conflagration in the history of mankind the world war var but liow how many of them knew that the murder of an american girl ly by indians in 1777 played a part in determining ter the destiny of their own nation yet mere me are historians who will agree that tier her death the one hundred bundred and fifty third anniversary of which comes on july 27 of this year was a factor in ili the so called calle d turning point in our struggle for independence in these years so man many y celebrations of important battles of the revolution are being held it Is fitting that americans should hear bear again the story of lovely jane and tier her tragic tate fate in june 1777 gen john burgoyne TV with it h an army of british and Iles hessians and a large force of cana than dlan and indian fillies allies swept down from canada tor for tile the invasion of new york by the way of lake champlain after he fie had bad captured ticonderoga crown point and fort edward lie he expected sir william howe hove to come up op the hudson river from new nei york and join him at albany Al achan bagy thus they would drive a wed wedge ge between new england and the other colonies and put an end to the rebellion fort foit edward was in a dilapidated condition find and was held by only it a small rear guard of gen philip lers army which had been forced to retreat before Bur goynes greater numbers near fort 1 edward dward stood three cabins one of which was occupied by a mrs mcnell who Is described as a fat and talkative old woman who mho had been twid aft ice widowed she was a cousin of brig gen simon fraser of Bur Burgo goynes jues army and for that reason felt no apprehension at the approach or of the llie invaders even though bur tuvina tu vima indian allies had been killing find and scalping settlers as they advanced ou u july 27 she elie welcomed a guest nto into her home jane jana mccrea a twenty abree year veur old girl who lived hied with her bei arother john mccrea a lawyer lawer and tol vitel of the local militia near the ju juab tb of moses kill south of fort adward june jane macren was noted throughout the countryside both for lier beauty and for tier her long and lustrous hair which would reach to the when she ehe stood and let it down because of the near approach of the enemy john mccrea wits was preparing to move to albany but Us his sister refused to go with him or even to stay at their bome on moses kill tile the reason was that she che had a lover david jones a neighbor who being a tory had tied fled to canada soon after the outbreak of the war and was now returning as an officer in one of Bur goynes loyalist legalist regiments ile he had written to tier lier proposing that she should ostensibly pay mrs mcnell mcneil a farewell visit then slip clip away to the lines und lie would have tha th chaplain marry them there are sever beverl contradictions in the various stories of t tie be zone jane mccrea tragedy one of them Is in regard to bow site she happened to fall into the bands of the indians according to one story jones sent a pirty party p of indians under the leadership of a halfbreed to escort her to the british camp and Bur goynes account of the affair gives color to this version borne bome historians however do not mention this fact according to their version about nine on the ru orning of july 27 a party of indians attacked and drove into the fort a picket guard gaard of the americans killing the commander and aid capturing one man incidentally Incidental lyo this mans name was standish and he was a descend I 1 v W ra PIN at o 0 it wt W t ant of the valorous miles standish sh ot or pilgrim tame fame the indians then discovered the two women in the cabin entered it and dragged them out standish sli saw them rushing their prisoners along the trall trail up the hill to a place where they lind had two horses they tried to place the women on these mounts and easily seated jane mccrea on one but fat old mrs mcnell was a different proposition and try us they could the savages could not lift tier her into the saddle meanwhile the others led jane mccrea away and as she and her captors passed near the spot where standish was held bield captive he saw two of them engaged engage in nii an angry dispute suddenly one of them turned and shot her from the lie saddle scalping her as she fell then according to their savage custom they stripped tier lier of the wedding finery in which she w wis Is going to meet tier her lover find and nut mutilated fluted tier her body horribly honl bly they then continued on to Bur goynes camp where they told what had happened and exhibited her ter scalp while this was taking place fat old mrs mcneil was having tier her troubles although she had not been injured by her captors they had stripped her to a single undergarment and in title this she lipp eared in camp where the indian turned her over oer to her cousin general fraser that officer was much era em barras barraged barr ased zed for lie he was not able to find in camp any clothes large enough for mrs mcneil finally out of disown his own wardrobe h produced a great coat large enough to cover her all the while he was forced to listen to a torrent of abuse front the irate old lady because of tier her treatment trent ment at the hands of tits his rascally indians but this comic aspect of the soon became a tragic one when jane mccreah MiCi Mc eia scalp was shown to her she recognized it tit at once as did david jonea who then learned of the fate fate of tits ills bride to be upon being informed of what had taken place gentral general bur goyne one immediately held nn an inquiry or dered the indians to hand over oer the murderer put him under arrest anil and announced tits ills intention 0 of f executing becu aln him but st luc the french cona cana dlan leader of the indian allies in formed the general if he did dd that the indians who were already resentful of bargones Bur gones goynes efforts to restrain dhent from the atrocities which they had been commIttIng against the settlers would desert in ii a body and go e probably solacing themselves by kill hill ing rig any whites they found whether loyalist or patriot so Burgoy jae yielded to st luc and pardoned the slayer it Is doubtful it if even the loss of his indian allies would have been as severe a mow blow to his hopes ns its were the results of the murder of june jane mccrea from the beginning of his expedition the excesses of 0 his savages had brought down upon him criticism in england and furious denunciation by the americans patriot propagandists had let loose blasts of scorn end and bitter anger at mm him because he be had bad employed savages of course they were igner ins ing the fact that during the wars with the french the colonists had been glad enough to have the old aid of indians over 01 er whom they had bad little more control than had burgoyne burgon over his allies they were nere ignoring too tile the fact that early in the struggle for freedom tie edom they themselves had solicited tile the old aid of indians and even then so called christian indians indiana from stockbridge mass were fighting on their side but propagandists then as ever since that time have not always been concerned with telling the whole truth burgoyne had hoped that not only active loyalists but those whose allegiance le legi ance was doubtful would rally to tits his army as it advanced when he captured ticonderoga so easily it was such it blow at the patriot cause that it began to look as though the whole rebellion might colb collapse ipe especially since there were so 10 m many a ny co colonists who cared little for either king or congress and wonted wanted only to be allowed to continue in their peaceful pursuits but tile the unpunished murder of jane mccrea made even een those who inight be inclined to swear allegiance to the crown and receive a certificate of loyalty waver lf it the bride of an officer in his bis army was killed by hla his savages what assurance assur anca would they have hae that anyone would be safe bate front from tits his pointed demons they the asked themselves among these who favored the patriot cause tier her death helped fix in them a stubborn determination to resist the invader to the end and to quicken them into action remember member Ile jave mccneal Mc Creal became something of it a rallying cry along the harried frontier of new york for the fame 0 of f the victim made the story of her death spread like wildfire and greatly latisi recruiting thus tile the story of jane mccrea was spread broadcast throughout the colonies it became been me a loading leading item of 0 patriot Ia tilot propaganda no doubt that master propagandist of them ull cunny canny ben franklin made good use of it just as he used alip famous inventory of scalps story lie had manufactured so elli clentry in stirring up the die patriots to a 1 high pitch of fury against the brit sh although it Is impossible ever to lay tt a finger upon the definite results of nt propaganda there can be no doubt story had an important effect upon patriot morale at a time when ihen it was very low it took the fighting of a willett and a causes Galise voort at fort schuyler stanwix of a stark and a 8 warner at bennington and of a morgan morgain and an arnold at saratoga to rush erush the invader Inva derand and to make his bis defeat one of the fifteen decisive battles of the wo arid and his surrender the real turning point in the american revolution but the beautiful girl who was wag struck down by an indian but bul let that july morning ye beart art ago deserves a share in tha eliat t great victory unwittingly she played at an important role in a mighty drama so jane did not dle die in vain JQ by deattra no union |