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Deerpark and Mount Hope

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But as there were several interesting incidents which took place in this vicinity during the incursion and just before the battle, we will relate them here, and thus isolate them from the engagement which was brought on, as the Indians were retiring from this county.

In July, 1779, Capt. Brandt with a company of Indians and Tories invaded what we have called the “Lower Neighborhood” in this town. His first assault was upon the fort at Major Decker's which he entered unawares—the men being out—and two negro boys were taken prisoners. Then the party proceeded to the dwelling of Anthony Van Etten, Esq., where a few Indians entered a blacksmith’s shop, where a black man worked. Mr. James Swartwout, who had the race with the Indian, as previously stated, happened to be in at the time, and it was agreed that he should get up into the chimney and secrete himself there, and that the negro should stay in the shop, as the Indians probably would not kill or injure him. This was done, and the Indians came in and on looking around saw no one but the negro.— They took up, handled, threw over and tumbled down the various articles in the shop, and then one of them took hold of the handle of the bellows, and began to blow up the fire at a most furious rate. The negro, knowing the effect of the heat and smoke on his friend in the chimney, put his hand on the Indian, and told him to “stop or he would spoil that thing.” He respected the caution and ceased to blow, when they left the shop. Swartwout came down quite exhausted by breathing the smoke and heated air, and by the great exertion necessary to brace and keep himself from falling down for so long a time. The artifice succeeded and he escaped.

When the Indians were discovered approaching the house of James Van Vleit, the inmates fled. Roolif Cuddeback, who was there at the time, ran into the woods pursued by an Indian. When nearly overtaken, he turned upon him; upon which the Indian stopped and threw his tomahawk at him, but it struck a bush and missed its mark. Cuddeback closed in with him, both being without weapons except a knife which the Indian had in his belt. The struggle was severe— for life or death—each endeavoring to possess himself of the fatal instrument. It fell to the ground and was of no use to either. The battle was continued till both were nearly exhausted, when the Indian freeing himself from the grasp of Cuddeback left him, while the latter hastened to escape pursuit by the other Indians. Cuddeback was a strong man, and too powerful for the Indian; but he afterwards stated that the Indian was very supple, and in the struggle became naked, and his skin was so slippery, by reason of grease and free perspiration that it gave him the chance very readily to escape from his holds and grips. It was said that the Indian died a few years after, with the wounds and injuries received in the encounter. The father of this Indian was shot while crossing the river on horseback by Capt. Cuddeback, the brother of James Cuddeback, during this incursion, as Mr. Gumaer was informed a few years before the Revolution by a gentleman from Rochester, who knew the Indians while residing there.

This day there had been a funeral, and Major Decker and some others on their return on horseback met the Indians, who shot at and wounded the Major, who rode into the woods and escaped. There was some firing at the Van Auken fort, and one man killed. An Indian attempting to get to a building near the fort to set it on fire was shot. By this time the smoke of the dwellings was seen ascending in many directions, and generally known that the Indians, with Brandt at their head, were there. The very name of this leader struck the inhabitants with terror, as when “the lion is known to prowl around an African hamlet.” An occurrence took place here which shows that this cruel and hard-hearted warrior still contained a spark of humanity. The Indians had visited the school house, and threatened to exterminate one generation of the settlement at a blow. Jeremiah Van Auken was the teacher, and they took him from the house, conveyed him about half a mile off and then killed him. Some of the boys in the school were cleft with the tomahawk; others fled to the woods for concealment from their bloody assailants; while the little girls stood by the slain body of their teacher bewildered and horror struck, not knowing their own fate, whether death or captivity. While they were standing in this pitiful condition, a strong muscular Indian suddenly came along, and with a brush dashed some black paint across their aprons, bidding them “hold up the mark when they saw an Indian coming, and it would save them; " and with the yell of a savage plunged into the woods and disappeared. This was Brandt, and the little daughters of the settlers were safe. The Indians, as they passed along and ran from place to place, saw the black mark, and left the children undisturbed. The happy thought, like a flash of lightning, entered the minds of these little sisters, and suggested that they could use the mark to save their brothers. The scattered boys were quickly assembled, and the girls threw their aprons over the clothes of the boys, and stamped the black impression upon their outer garments. They-in turn held up the Palladium of safety as the Indians passed and re-passed, and these children were thus saved from injury and death to the unexpected joy of their parents. Mrs. Leah Van Auken escaped by hiding herself in a ditch. This was the day before the battle of Minisink. During this invasion the Indians took or destroyed the goods and chattels of the people, plundered and burnt their houses and barns— and with them, the first old church built there for the Mahakemeck congregation on the confines of three States.

After the war ended the people here had much to do to reinstate themselves in as good condition as they were before the war commenced. Much money was lost by the depreciation and annulity of the Continental paper currency, and most of the buildings, together with household goods and furniture were burnt, horses taken, etc. And as they could not make money by their farming business to enable them to build, some in the upper neighborhood undertook to raft round timber down the Neversink River for the Philadelphia market, from the forest above the settlement. The stream was rough, and even now is not navigable for rafting, notwithstanding considerable money was expended a few years since to make it so. In this they met with many disasters: one man was drowned, and the experiment was abandoned. After which, timber was got out and thrown into the river, which in the freshets floated down, and whatever of it could be found where the river was navigable, was collected and rafted by the owners (each one having previously marked his own) down the Neversink and Delaware Rivers to Philadelphia. The navigation of the rivers was then very imperfectly understood.

Before the inhabitants of the upper neighborhood could commence building dwelling houses, etc., they had to build some mills to manufacture materials for the purpose. Three men became partners to build one saw mill, and three others to build another, wherewith each manufactured materials for his own use, and also for others who were not owners. One of these mills (on Bush kill) did considerable business for some years afterwards.