Depositions on the Death of Two Persons and the Wounding of Two More
There being sundry Indians brought before us on the 26th of August, 1705 on examination concerning the sudden death of two persons and two more being wounded,
The first inquiry made
to the old wounded
Indian was: What did the English man[1] do when he first came into the wigwam?
Answer: He pointed to an Indian child there, as if he had wanted a coal of fire to light his
pipe.
Question: What did he do next?
Answer: He then took hold of an Indian child and cut the throat of it.
Question: What did he do next?
Answer: He took hold of me the old lame Indian and endeavored to cut my throat but the
knife taking upon his cheek bone prevented present death.
Question: What was his next motion?
Answer: The old squaw endeavoring to hinder him saying pray kill no more and taking hold
of his knife. He cut her hand very much and cut a gash in her arm, where upon she
crying out very much. There being one called great Simon and another Indian
called Cuppocosson being then at the riverside a little distant from the wigwam.
The said Cuppocosson sayeth he ran up to the wigwam.
Question: What did you then?
He answered and said: When I came to the wigwam and saw my child killed and my father and mother in
their blood, I then took my gun and went out to see if I could see the man that had
thus done and a little distant from the wigwam I saw him. He turning towards me
with his drawn knife in one hand and a stone in the other hand. He threw the stone
at me and hit me on the thigh.
Question: What did you then?
Answer: I Shot my gun off, but did not aim at him.
Question: Did the man fall down presently?
Answer: He went a little way and then fell down.
Question: Why did you not take him without killing him?
Answer: I was afraid he would kill me.
Then Great Simon
was asked: Why he did not help to catch the English man, to hinder his being killed?
Great Simon’s
answer was: That he called after him but he presently shot
Then Simon said, I went to see and saw a man lie dead. Also another Indian called Simon, a dweller there, being asleep under a tree as he sayeth and heard a gun go off went up and saw a man lie dead there near the wigwam, whereupon the next day we sent the said Cuppocosson to New Haven jail for his trial.
Attestation: Josiah Rosseter, Assistant
Abraham Fowler, Justices
Notation: Concerning manslaughter in Guilford/ October 1705
Cataloguing: 386, 406
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Editorial Note: The Use of the Word Squaw