![]() When the Indian returned to camp he laughed and told his companions what he had done. The sound of the rifle shot attracted Woodward Arnold to the scene, but he, too, was shot and killed when Musemeelin saw him coming up the path. He led Smith deep into the woods and shot him dead. Musemeelin excused himself from his companions and told Smith that he wanted to have a word with him in private. When Musemeelin and his companions reached Captain Jack's camp they found James Smith alone, sitting by the fire. He convinced two young Delaware warriors to join him on a hunting trip, but instead of leading the warriors to the hunting grounds, Musemeelin led them to a rocky mountain gap where Armstrong, Young and Arnold had set up camp. Later that day, when Musemeelin's wife told him what Captain Jack had done, the Indian vowed revenge. Armstrong said it was too late he had already sold the horse to a man named James Berry. The Indian's wife, recognizing the traders, approached them and demanded the return of her husband's horse. After a lengthy, heated argument, the Indian went home in great anger.Ī short time later Captain Jack and his men were on their way to western Pennsylvania, and their route along the Juniata River caused them to pass Musemeelin's cabin. He demanded the return of his horse, but Captain Jack refused. This would have paid off all but twenty shillings of Musemeelin's debt, yet Musemeelin was greatly outraged. Musemeelin owed Armstrong some furs, but when he told Armstrong that he did not have them, the traders seized Musemeelin's horse and a rifle in lieu of the animal skins. In late February of 1744, Captain Jack and two of his servants, James Smith and Woodward Arnold, traveled to Mount Union to collect a long overdue debt from Musemeelin, a member of the Delaware tribe. Jack's Narrows and the village of Mapleton His adventures were so well-known throughout colonial America that author Washington Irving later wrote about him extensively in his biography of George Washington. For these exploits, Armstrong was known by a variety of nicknames: The Black Hunter, the Black Rifle, and the Wild Hunter of the Juniata. In the years that followed, Captain Jack and his army of Scots-Irish frontiersmen not only devoted themselves to the protection of white settlements in the valley, but mounted a crusade of untiring warfare upon the tribes of the Iroquois Confederacy. Swearing vengeance upon the Indians he assembled a militia of the toughest men the Susquehanna and Juniata valleys had to offer, and received a commission as captain from the colonial governor of Pennsylvania. From that day forward Jack was a changed man. One evening, after returning from an afternoon of hunting, he discovered that his wife and children had been murdered by Indians, and his cabin burned to the ground. For several years he lived alongside the Indians peacefully, earning an income by trading with his Iroquois neighbors and their bitter enemy, the Delaware. It was here on Duncan's Island where, sometime around 1730, he built a simple cabin for himself and his family. During his captivity he learned their language and customs, and when he finally earned his freedom he settled on Duncan's Island, at the confluence of the Juniata and Susquehanna rivers. But, before we come to that point, let's revisit the history of Captain Jack's adventurous life and tragic death.Īccording to local legend, Jack was just a young boy when he was kidnapped by the Iroquois. However, what most people don't know is the strange story of how his long-lost bones were finally discovered more than a century after his demise. In fact, wherever the name "Jack" appears on a map of Blair, Huntingdon, Mifflin, Juniata or Perry counties, it's a pretty safe bet that the Jack in question was Captain John Armstrong- arguably Pennsylvania's most iconic hero of the frontier. The story of Captain Jack Armstrong played such a significant role in the history of Huntingdon County that his name is memorialized in dozens of natural features the mountain pass known as Jack's Narrows was named in his honor, as is Jack's Spring, Jack's Mountain and Jack's Creek. ![]() ![]() Virtually everyone who lives in Huntingdon County is directly or indirectly familiar with the legend of John Armstrong, who is more commonly remembered as Captain Jack- the trader and pioneer settler who, along with two companions, was murdered by three Delaware Indians near Mount Union in 1744. ![]() ![]() (Listen to the audio version of this story on the Pennsylvania Oddities Podcast!) An abandoned mansion in Huntingdon County ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |