Indians killed Purifoy's children. 1838, April 1, Sunday

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The North-Carolina Standard. April 18, 1838

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From the Savannah Georgian of April 11.

We yesterday received by the steamer J. Stone, Capt. Mendal, the Darien Telegraph of yesterday, in advance of the mail. From it we extract the following:

“MORE INDIAN MURDERS NEAR TALLAHASSEE.—A gentleman just arrived from Tallahassee, informs us that on the night of the 1st inst., a family of the name of Purify were murdered within 20 miles of Tallahassee. The Indians burned the dwelling and two white children in it; two negro women were also killed; and Mrs. Purify received two shots through her body and was stabbed by the Indians. She crawled, however, into a thicket where she concealed herself. Dr. Taylor, of Monticello, stated to our informant, that she could not possibly survive.”

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Edgefield Advertiser. April 19, 1838 | The Florida Watchman. April 21, 1838

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From the Charleston Mercury.
MORE INDIAN MURDERS.

A gentleman, just arrived from Tallahassee, says the Darien Telegraph, of the 6th inst. informs us that on the night of the 1st inst. a family of the name of Purifoy, were murdered within 20 miles of Tallahassee. The Indians burned the dwelling and two white children in it; two negro women were also killed; and Mrs. Purifoy received two shots through her body and was stabbed by the Indians. She crawled, however, into a thicket, where she concealed herself. Dr. Taylor, of Monticello, stated to our informant, that she could not possibly survive.

The Jacksonville Courier of the 5th inst. says:—By a letter to our excellent Mayor, Col. Dell, from his brother in Alachua county, dated April 1, [and] from the bearer of the letter, Mr. Brooks, our worst apprehensions of farther—indeed of continued Indian murders, are confirmed. “They killed two Irishmen, on the place that Brush cleared on the Micanopy pond.” Signs near Camp Fanning are spoken of. “God only knows what we are to do; but still hope Jesup will be able to relieve us.” Hope deferred; and still farther to be deferred as may be seen by the General's own showing.

Mr. Brooks gives the further information that two volunteers were fired upon at Suwannee, Old Town—and severely wounded; that Indians have been seen at the Echetokamy[/Echetokany] Springs, and signs about Fort White, and near Newnansville.

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FURTHER PARTICULARS.—On Saturday evening last, about dark, a party of Indians, supposed to number 30 or 40, residing in the vicinity of the previous depredations, murdered two children and three negroes, plundered and set fire to the buildings, and made their escape—the children were burned in the dwelling. Mrs. Purifoy, although severely wounded, miraculously made her escape from the savages. When the attack was made there were none but females about the premises, a fact supposed to have been known to the Indians. Mrs. P. was lying in bed with her two children, heard a noise in her room and on looking up found it filled with Indians, who commenced discharging their rifles, several of them aimed at herself and children. The children it is supposed were killed at once. Mrs. P. received a ball in her shoulder, which passed out at her breast. The savages next commenced hacking and stabbing her with their knives, and inflicted a number of severe wounds on her head and several parts of her body. Their attention was a moment directed from her to a noise made by the servants in an adjoining room, when Mrs. P. taking advantage of this circumstance escaped to the yard, where she was again shot down, but succeeded in gaining the woods, intending to reach her father's residence, Capt. Daniel Bird, about two miles distant. Faint from the loss of blood and the severity of her wounds, she was unable to proceed more than half a mile, where she was found next morning. Mrs. P. received, we understand, ten distinct wounds, several very severe, but her physician entertains strong hopes of her recovery. To heighten the catastrophe, Mr. Purifoy, whose children and slaves were slain, was absent from home, fulfilling his ministerial duties.

As soon as the attack was discovered, the troops at Camp Carter, under Capt. Shehee, were sent for, but the Indians has dispersed in three parties and fled. Maj. Taylor with Capt. Newsam's company joined Capt. S. on Monday morning, and have followed the several trails, but with what success we have not understood.

The house attacked is several miles within the frontier settlements—the houses of most of which are picketed in. We trust the occurrence will awaken the United States authorities to do something more for the protection of our frontier.—Tallahassee Floridian.

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Edgefield Advertiser. April 19, 1838

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The news which we give this week from Florida is of the most painful interest. The murder which we have recorded, is associated in our minds with all that is dark, and cruel and terrible in savage warfare. Mrs. Purifoy was born in this District, and removed but a few years ago, from this Village, with her highly esteemed father, to Florida. We knew her well; and we speak but the language of her numerous acquaintance when we say, that she displayed in her life a lamb-like meekness, a purity and excellence of character, which are seldom seen. Who would have thought, said a respected Lady to us on hearing the melancholy occurrence, that the mild and innocent, the amiable and youthful Louisa was doomed to fall beneath the deadly rifle and butcher-knife of the savage!

The people of this section have not been indifferent to suffering Florida, but this fresh instance of Indian barbarity has awakened anew their warmest sympathies. How long are these scenes to continue! When will cease to flow the blood of innocent women and children?

When we penned the above, we had heard from another source than the newspaper account, that Mrs. Purifoy was dead. By later intelligence we learn now that strong hopes are entertained of her recovery.

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A Guide to the Correspondence of the Breckinridge, Gamble and Watts Families

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Other topics in the letters from Mary Watts Gamble include ...

... an attack by the Seminoles upon the home, family, and slaves of Mrs. Purifoy, wife of a Methodist minister and daughter of Captain Byrd, and her severe wounds and loss of her children just four miles away from Welaunee (April 13, 1838); ...

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Vermont Telegraph. April 4, 1838

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THE FLORIDA WAR.—There are now ten thousand troops employed in the relentless crusade against a remnant band of miserable Seminole Indians! So far, disaster and dishonor are the only fruits of this most iniquitous war. It has cost millions of dollars and thousands of lives. It has, also, fixed a stain upon our national character which nothing can efface. And what has been accomplished? A few Indians have voluntarily surrendered. Others, who came in under the protection of a white flag, were treacherously captured! But the great object for which the war was waged is as far from being accomplished as it was when it commenced. The Indians have retreated into their swamps and everglades, pursued by General Jesup with an army ten thousand strong!

It is, we believe, more than a year since the Indians have committed any act of aggression or hostility. Though hunted like wild beasts, they abstain from acts of violence. The white men encroach & plunder—the Indians retire and submit. The Indians are, and have been, ready to lay down their arms. Their voices are uniformly for peace. They ask for nothing but to live and die upon their own soil. This is denied. The government will not allow them to enjoy their own! They are required to leave their native fields and their broad hunting grounds; to abandon their homes and emigrate to lands unknown. These are the hard conditions upon which CHRISTIANS will make peace with SAVAGES!

Tale of Tiger Tail, Seminole, 1838

The North-Carolina standard., March 14, 1838

              FROM THE MILLEDGEVILLE UNION.
                          FROM FLORIDA.
    We received a few days since, the following
communication from one of the officers attached
to General Nelson's brigade of Georgia volunteers,
from which it appears that the Seminoles
have at last found a body of men who are too
hard for them.
    How gratifying it must be, not only to the
particular relations and friends of our gallant
countrymen, but to every true Georgian, to
witness the gallantry and good conduct of their
fellow-citizens in a contest with a savage foe!
Go ahead, boys! Honors await you.
                        GEORGIA BRIGADE.             }
“In the Woods—Head-Quarters, Feb. 8, 1838. }
    “Dear Sir—Since I wrote to you last, several
things of importance have transpired.
    “I informed you in my last communication,
that we had taken a number of prisoners; but
were unable to gain any information from them,
for want of an interpreter. Since that time,
one has arrived from Tampa Bay; and on our
reaching the Enutatiga Hammock, his services
were put in requisition. Several of the enemy
appeared on the edge of the hammock, with a
white flag, he returned and stated that Tigertail
and several other Chiefs were there, with a
large number of Indians, and wished to have a
big talk with us—upon the receipt of which
information, the brigade was formed, and several
other officers and myself went forward about
half way, and halted. In a few moments, eight
Indians emerged from the hammock, and
approached us. One had on his head the skin of
a white crane, and was dressed in full costume;
the balance had nothing remarkable about them,
except that they were all fine looking men. On
they came, in single file, the white helmet leading
the way, until they approached us within
about ten paces, when an officer stepped forward
and extended his hand, which was taken by their
leader, who, I learned from the interpreter, was
the celebrated Tigertail. Holatoocha followed
next, and after shaking hands, we sat down on
the grass in a circle.
    “One of the Chiefs, whose name I forgot,
produced a pipe and lit it, and passed it to Tigertail,
who, after taking a few whiffs, passed it to our
Colonel; from him to Holatoocha; from him to
me, and so on alternately, from white man to
Indian, until it went around. After some time
had elapsed, and finding the Indians were not
disposed to open the conversation, I desired the
interpreter to say to them, that if they had any
propositions to make, we were ready to hear
them—that I was instructed to say to them, by
our General, that he hoped they would come
in without any fighting, and bring their families;
and if they would, they should be treated well,
and sent to their homes across the big water,
which their great father had provided for them
—that if they concluded to come in, they must do
so that evening, as they had kept bad faith
heretofore, and therefore they could not be trusted—
and lastly, if they did not agree to these conditions,
he would march his troops upon them
immediately. After the delivery of which
Tigertail rose and addressed the circle.
    “I took down his speech as interpreted to me,
and here give it to you in full:
    “'Chiefs of the pale faces! when I used to
talk to you before, I called you brothers. I even
lived among you before the war commenced.—
I am a Tallahassean. I therefore staid in the
land where rests the bones of my fathers—even
on the spot where your big Council House is
built, and your town, which is named of my
people. But when you sought to drive back
my tribe across the big waters, among the bad
Indians, I went back to them. I gathered my
people around me, and said to them to die on
the land which the Great Spirit had given them.
For two years we have fought the whites, and
but few of my warriors have been killed, until
you Georgians came, since which time we have
had no peace.
    “'Why have you come here? Did not your
great chief give you a big talk before you left?
Did he not tell you he was no fighting man, and
that he did not wish you to go to war?—that he
would not give you money to buy you meat, or
bread, if you went? Did not many of your head
men in your big council, tell you not to come,
and offer you money if you would go back home?
Why did you not do it? We do not want to
fight you, for you follow us into the hammocks,
and wade through mud and water on our trail,
and shoot our people, and give us no rest. We
are safe from you in no hiding place. We are
tired of fighting you, and hope you will listen to
the words of your great chief, and go home and
disturb us no more.'”
    “I then desired the interpreter to say to him,
that although our great chief was not a fighting
man, still there were other chiefs who were, by
whom we would be governed, and fight them
until they surrendered—that although our chief
would not give us meat or bread, we had got along
without his assistance, and that we now had
plenty—and finally, that we would not go back
home as he had advised, but still continue to kill
his men, and take his women and children prisoners.
    “He then rose again, and addressed us:
    “'Chiefs of the pale faces! If such is your
determination, I can hold no further talk with you.
This much, though, I will say. I will send a
talk to my friends in Georgia, and tell them to
heap abuse, calumny & slander upon you, while
you remain here.'”
    “Here he was interrupted by one of our fiery
young officers, who remarked, if they do heap
calumny and abuse upon us while we are here,
we will disprove it by our own actions which
the world will know; and after we get home, if
they continue it, we will chastise them personally.
    “During this harangue, Tigertail listened with
all the gravity of an Indian; and at the close
made the following reply:
    “'I know that your actions will disprove their
assertions; but if they even live for a moment,
which they must do if you are not there, it will
be some gratification to your enemies. You
had better return to your homes, and stop those
who are disposed to slander you in your absence,
and leave me and my tribe to live in peace.'”
    “The interpreter was then instructed to say to
him, that we could listen no longer, and if he
did not give up immediately, we should march
upon him; upon which information, he raised a
whoop and broke for the hammock, followed by
the rest. We then charged and fought the battle
of the Enutatiga.
                            ———
        FROM THE CHARLESTON COURIER 5th inst.
    We learn by the Steamer James Adams, from
Indian River (Florida,) that the further cessation
of hostilities, to continue for 5 days, to allow
the Indians to come in, had been agreed to
by Gen. Jesup, which had not expired at the
last accounts from the army. Some further
particulars of the melancholy fate of the late Dr.
Leitner, have been communicated to us.
Information had reached St. Augustine that Dr.
L. was taken alive by the Indians, but very
severely wounded—they came to the determination
to preserve his life, in order to avail themselves
of his professional services, and therefore
provided a litter for him, and carried him about
thirty miles, making the greatest care to make his
situation as comfortable as possible. After they
had proceeded this distance, however, a young
Indian, who had lost a brother in the battle with
Col. Taylor's command, rushed upon Dr. Leitner,
as he lay on a blanket, and sending up a
hellish yell, shot him dead with his rifle.

Niles' National Register., February 17, 1838
Army and Navy Chronicle., February, 1838

                    FLORIDA—OFFICIAL
                CAMP PIERCE, ON INDIAN RIVER.
                                            January 17, 1838.
...Our loss has been considerable, and, in the death
of Dr. Leitner, irreparable. He proved himself a man
of singular ability, modesty, and courage...