BRETHREN-L Archives

Archiver > BRETHREN > 2009-04 > 1240518648


From:
Subject: [BRE] Frederick Stump,"the Indian killer" (actually a sadly gory tale)
Date: Thu, 23 Apr 2009 16:30:48 EDT


I keep running into the name of Frederick Stump, usually described as "the
Indian killer." The most common tales I've found about him say that he
and his servant murdered five or six or 10 peaceful Indians (Moravian
Indians?), including one named White Mingo, then tried to cover up the murders.
He's supposed to have lived at "Stump's Run" in Union County, PA, near
Buffalo Valley (whence came my Glocks and Shivelys, coincidentally).

I find a Frederick Stump listed in Annals of Buffalo Valley) as arriving in
Cumru Twp, at Heidelberg in 1756. In this area and arriving at about the
same year are folks named Boechtel, High, Kunkle, Yoder, Baum Faust, Leiby,
Derr, Christ, Lutz, Wolf.

In 1768, Annals of Buffalo Valley mentions where different settlers:

"...Frederick Stump, (who is taxed with one negro,)..."

and then tells where a few folks lived:

"...Frederick Stump where Middleburg now stands..."

and then tells the story of:

"Murder of White Mingo.

"Sunday, 10th of January [1768], occurred the murder of White
Mingo and five other Indians, by Frederick Stump....
William Blythe...went to George Gabriel's, where he met
Stump and several others, on the 12th, and was then told
by Stump himself that six Indians, White Mingo, Cornelius,
John Campbell, Jones, and two women, came to his house,
near the mouth of Middle creek. Being drunk and disorderly,
he endeavored to get them to leave, which they would not do.
Fearing injury to himself, he killed them all, dragged them to
the creek, and making a hole in the ice, threw in their bodies.
Then fearing the news might be carried to the other Indians,
he went the next day to two cabins, fourteen miles up the
creek, where he found one woman and two girls, with one
child. These he killed, and putting their bodies into the
cabin, he burned it. That he (Blythe) sent four men up the
creek, who reported that they had found the cabins burned
and the remains....in the ashes. The scene of the latter
deed was on the run that enters the creek at Middleburg,
which goes by the name of Stump's run to this day. Stump
and his companion, Iron-Cutter, were arrested at Gabriel's
and taken to Carlisle jail. They were forcibly rescued on
the 29th, were concealed about Fort Augusta a few days, and
then fled the country. Tradition has it that Stump died in
Virginia, many years afterwards."

Now, I'm not sure I'd want to claim him, but I would like to know. Is he
one of the Dunkard Stumps? Does he belong to one of our Brethren
families?

Jan






Another legend found on line, however, calls him "an Indian fighter," and
says that he was supposed to be a famed Indian with magical abilities,
including the ability to change his appearance into that of an inanimate object,
even a tree stump (a pun?) in order to hide from his enemies.
**************Big savings on Dell XPS Laptops and Desktops!
(http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1219799634x1201
361008/aol?redir=http:%2F%2Fad.doubleclick.net%2Fclk%3B214133440%3B36002254%3Bj)

This thread: