his hand a scalp, which by the black ribbon around the queue, I recognized as that of Capt. Wells, I dragged my fainting steps to one of the wigwams.

"The wife of Wau-bee-nee-mah, a chief from the Illinois River, was standing near, and seeing my exhausted condition she siezed a kettle, dipped up some water from a stream that flowed near, threw into it some maple sugar, and stirring it up with her hand gave it me to drink. This act of kindness, in the midst of so many many horrors, touched me most sensibly, but my attention was soon diverted to other objects.

"The fort had become a scene of plunder to such as remained after the troops marched out. The cattle had been shot down as they ran at large, and lay dead or dying around. This work of butchery had commenced just as we were leaving the fort. I well remembered a remark of Ensign Ronan, as the firing went on. 'Such,' turning to me, 'is to be our fate-to be shot down like brutes!' 'Well sir,' said the commanding officer, who overheard him, 'are you afraid?' 'No,' replied the high spirited young man, 'I can march up to the enemy where you dare not show your face;' and his subsequent gallant behavior showed this to be no idle boast.

"As the noise of the firing grew gradually less, and the stragglers from the victorious party came dropping in, I received confirmation of what my father had hurriedly communicated in our rencontre on the lake shore; namely, that the whites had surrendered after the loss of about two thirds of their number. They had stipulated, through the interpreter, Peresh Leclerc, for the preservation of their lives, and those of the remaining women and children, and for their delivery at some of the British posts, unless ransomed by traders in the Indian country. It appears that the wounded prisoners were not considered as included in the stipulation, and a horrible scene ensued upon their being brought into camp. "An old squaw, infuriated by the loss of friends, or excited by the sanguinary scenes around her, seemed possessed by a demoniac ferocity. She siezed a stable fork and assaulted one miserable victim, who lay groaning and writhing in the agony of his wounds, aggravated by the scorching beams of the sun. With a delicacy of feeling scarcely to have been expected under such circumstances, Waubee-nee-mah stretched a mat across two poles, between me and this dreadful scene. I was thus spared, in some degree, a view of its horrors, although I could not entirely close my ears to the cries of the sufferer. The following night five more of the wounded prisoners were tomahawked.

The Americans, after their first attack by the Indians, charged upon those who had concealed themselves in a sort of ravine, intervening between the sand banks and the prairie. The latter gathered themselves into a body, and after some hard fighting, in which the number of whites had become reduced to 28, this little band succeeded in breaking through the enemy, and gaining a rising ground, not far from the Oak Woods. The contest now seemed hopeless, and Lieut. Helm sent Peresh Leclerc, a half-breed boy in the service of Mr. Kinzie, who had accompanied the detachment and fought manfully on their side, to propose terms of capitulation. It was stipulated that the lives of all the survivors should be spared, and a ransom permitted as soon as practicable.

"But, in the mean time, a horrible scene had been enacted. One young savage, climbing into the baggage-wagon, containing the children of the white families, 12 in number, tomahawked the children of the entire group. This was during the engagement near the sand hills. When Capt. Wells, who was fighting near, beheld it, he exclaimed: 'Is that their game, butchering the women and children? Then I will kill too !' So saying, he turned his horse's head, and started for the Indian camp, near the fort, where had been left their squaws and children.

"Several Indians pursued him as he galloped along. He laid himself flat on the neck of his horse, loading and firing in that position, as he would occasionally turn on his pursurers. At length their balls took effect, killing his horse, and severely wounding himself. At this moment he was met by Winnemeg and Wau-ben-see, who endeavored to save him from the savages who had now overtaken him. they supported him along, after having disengaged him from his horse, he received his death-blow from another Indian, Pee-so-tum, who stabbed him in the back.

As

"The heroic resolution of one of the soldier's wives deserves to be recorded. She was a Mrs. Corbin, and had, from the first, expressed the determination never to fall into the hands of the savages, believing that their prisoners were always subjected to tortures worse than death. When, therefore, a party came upon her, to make her a prisoner, she fought with desperation, refusing to surrender, although assured, by signs, of safety and kind treatment, and literally suffered herself to be cut to pieces, rather than become their captive.

"There was a Sergeant Holt, who, early in the engagement, received a ball in the neck. Finding himself badly wounded, he gave his sword to his wife, who was on horseback near him, telling her to defend herself-he then made for the lake, to keep out of the way of the balls. Mrs. Holt rode a very fine horse, which the Indians were desirous of possessing, and they therefore attacked her, in hopes of dismounting her. They fought only with the butt-ends of their guns, for their object was not to kill her. She hacked and hewed at their pieces as they were thrust against her, now on this side, now on that. Finally, she broke loose from them, and dashed out into the prairie. The Indians pursued her, shouting and laughing, and now and then calling out: The brave woman! do not hurt her!' At length they overtook her again, and while she was engaged with two or three in front, one succeeded in siezing her by the neck behind, and dragging her, although a large and powerful woman, from her horse. Notwithstanding that their guns had been so hacked and injured, and even themselves cut severely, they seemed to regard her only with admiration. They took her to a trader on the Illinois River, by whom she was restored to her friends, after having received every kindness during her captivity."

"The heart of Capt. Wells was taken out, and cut into pieces, and distributed among the tribes. His mutilated remains remained unburied until the next day, when Billy Caldwell gathered up his head in one place, and mangled body in another, and buried them in the sand. The family of Mr. Kinzie had been taken from the boat to their home, by friendly Indians, and there strictly guarded. Very soon a very hostile party of the Pottawatomie nation arrived from the Wabash, and it required all the skill and bravery of Black Partridge, Wau-ben-see, Billy Cald well (who arrived at a critical moment), and other friendly Indians, to protect them. Runners had been sent by the hostile chiefs to all the Indian villages, to apprise them of the intended evacuation of the fort, and of their plan of attacking the troops. In eager thirst to participate in such a scene of blood, but arrived too late to participate in the massacre. They were infuriated at their disappointment, and sought to glut their vengeance on the wounded and priso

ners.

On the third day after the massacre, the family of Mr. Kinzie, with the attaches of the establishment, under the care of Francois, a half-breed interpreter, were taken to St. Joseph's in a boat, where they remained until the following November, under the protection of To-pee-nee-bee, and his band. They were then carried to Detroit, under the escort of Chandonnai, and a friendly chief by the name of Kee-po-tah, and, with their servants, delivered up, as prisoners of war, to the British commanding officer. Of the other prisoners, Capt. Heald and Mrs. Heald were sent across to the lake of St. Joseph's, the day after the battle. Capt. Heald had received two wounds, and Mrs. Heald seven, the ball of one of which was cut from her arm by Mr. Kinzie, with a pen-knife, after the engagement. Mrs. H. was ransomed on the battle field, by Chandonnai, a half-breed from St. Joseph's, for a mule he had just taken, and the promise of ten bottles of whisky. Capt. Heald was taken prisoner by an Indian from the Kankakee, who, seeing the wounded and enfeebled state of Mrs. Heald, generously released his prisoner, that he might accompany his wife.

Lieut. Helm was wounded in the action and taken prisoner; and afterward taken by some friendly Indians to the Au-sable, and from thence to St. Louis, and liberated from captivity through the agency of the late Thomas Forsyth, Esq. Mrs. Helm received a slight wound in the ankle; had her horse shot from under her; and after passing through the agonizing scenes described, went with the family of Mr. Kinzie to Detroit. The soldiers with their wives and children, were dispersed among the different villages of the Pottowatomies, upon the Illinois, Wabash, Rock

River and Milwaukie. The largest proportion were taken to Detroit, and ransomed the following spring. Some, however, remained in captivity another year, and experienced more kindness than was expected from an enemy so merciless.

Captain (subsequently Major) Heald, his wife and family, settled in the county of St. Charles, Mo., after the war, about 1817, where he died about 15 years since. He was respected and beloved by his acquaintances. His health was impaired from the wounds he received."

North western view of the State House, Springfield.

The engraving shows the appearance of the State Capitol, as seen from the Mayor's office, in Washington-street. The Court House and the Bank building are seen on the left.

SPRINGFIELD, the capital of Illinois, is situated near the center of the state, four miles S. from Sangamon River, on the border of a rich and beautiful prairie, 97 miles from St. Louis, 75 N.E. from Alton, and 188 S.W. from Chicago. It is laid out with great regularity on what was formerly an open prairie, the streets being wide and straight, and ornamented with shade trecs. The state capitol stands on a square of three acres in the center of the city, which is beautifully adorned with trees, shrubbery and flowers. From the unusual attention given to the cultivation of shrubbery and flowers, Springfield is sometimes fancifully and pleasantly termed the "Flower City." It contains the governor's house, court house, 12 churches, 4 banking houses, the Illinois State University, and in 1860 6,499 inhabitants.

The first settlers of Springfield appear to have been several members of a family by the name of Kelly, who, sometime during the year 1818 or 1819, settled upon the present site of the city; one of them, John Kelly, erected his rude cabin upon the spot where stands the building known as the "Garrett House;" this was the first habitation erected in the city, and, perhaps, also, in the county of Sangamon. Another of the Kellys built his cabin westward of the first, and near the spot where stands the residence of Mrs. Torrey; and the third near or upon the spot where A. G. Herndon resides. A second family, by the name of Duggett, settled in that portion of the western part of the city known by the early inhabitants as "Newsonville," sometime in the early part of 1820; and some half dozen other families were added to the new settlement during the year 1821.

The original name of Springfield was Calhoun. At a special term of the county commissioners' court, held in April, 1821, at Kelly's house, they designated a certain point in the prairie, near John Kelly's field, on the waters of Spring creek, as a temporary seat of justice for the county, and that "said county seat should be called and known by the name of Springfield." The first court house and jail was built in the latter part of 1821, at the N. W. corner of Second and Jeffersonstreets. The town was surveyed and platted by James C. Stephenson, Esq., and he is said to have received block 21 for his services. Town lots, at that period, could not have been considered very valuable, as tradition says he proposed to give Dr. Merryman one fourth of the block for his pointer dog to which he took a fancy, and which offer was rejected. In 1823, Springfield did not contain more than a dozen log cabins, which were scattered about in the vicinity of where the court house then stood, and the Sangamon River was the boundary line of settlements in the northern part of the state. The site of Springfield was originally an open prairie, destitute of trees or shrubbery: where the state house now stands, was formerly a kind of swamp, where, during the winter, the boys amused themselves in skating.

The first tavern in Springfield was an old-fashioned two story log house, kept by a person named Price, which stood where the residence of Charles Lorsh now stands. The first tavern of much pretension was the old "Indian Queen Hotel," built by A. G. Herndon. The first store, for the sale of dry goods, in Springfield, was opened by Elijah Iles, now occupied by John Hay.

In 1837, the seat of government for the state was removed from Vandalia to Springfield, and the first session of the legislature here was in the winter of 183940. The senate held its session in the old Methodist church, and the house of representatives met in the second Presbyterian church. In 1840, Springfield received a city charter. Benjamin S. Clement was elected the first mayor, and Jas. R. Gray, Joseph Klein, Washington Iles, and Wm. Prentiss, aldermen. The St. Louis, Alton and Chicago Railroad was commenced in Aug., 1850, and was finished from Alton to Springfield, Sept., 1852: from this period Springfield has rapidly advanced in wealth and population.

The following inscriptions are copied from monuments in the city cemetery:

NINIAN EDWARDS, chief justice of Ky., 1808; governor Ill. Territory, 1809 to 1818; U. S. senator, 1818 to 1824; governor state of Ill., 1826 to 1830; died July 20, 1833, in the 59th year of his age.

PASCAL PAOLI ENOS, a native of Windsor, Conn., emigrated to the valley of the Mississippi in 1816; with three others founded the city of Springfield in 1824, and died A.D. 1832, aged sixty-two. The pioneers acknowledge his virtues.

Erected by the Whigs of Springfield in memory of JOHN BRODIE, who departed this life on the 3d of Aug., 1844, in the 42d year of his age. [Second monument.]-The grave of JOHN BRODIE, a native of Perth, Scotland, who departed this life on the 3d of Aug., 1844, in the 42d year of his age.

Far from his native isle he lies,

Wrapped in the vestments of the grave.

[In the old graveyard.] Sacred to the memory of Rev. JACOB M. EARLY, a native of Virginia, and for seven years a resident of Springfield, Ill., combining in his character splendid natural endowments, a highly cultivated mind, undaunted moral courage, and the graces of the Christian religion. Eminent in the profession of his choice, and successful in his ministry, he enjoyed a large share of the respect and affections of an extensive and respectable acquaintance. Though called suddenly from life, he met death with a calm and amazing fortitude, in the certain hope of a blissful immortality, through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He was born Feb. 22, 1806, and died March 11, 1838, aged 32 yrs. 18 days.

Springfield is noted as having been the home of Abraham Lincoln, president of the United States. He is a descendant of the pioneers of Kentucky.

His grandfather removed from Virginia at an early day, and finally fell on the frontiers beneath the tomahawk of the savage. His son, Thomas, and the father of Abraham, traveled about from neighborhood to 'neighborhood, working as a laborer, until he finally settled in what was then Hardin, now Larue county, Ky., and there, in 1809, was born the subject of this sketch. When in his eighth year, the family removed to Spencer Co., Ind. When Abraham was 21 years of age, they again emigrated to Macon, Illinois. Soon after he engaged as a flat boatman on the Mississippi, then he took charge of a store and a mill at New Salem, and on the outbreak of the Black Hawk war he was chosen captain of a company of volunteers. In 1834 he was, for the first time, elected to the legislature of Illinois, and soon after commenced the study of law. In 1837 he removed to Springfield and entered upon his professional career. In 1840, and again in 1844, he was one of the electors on the Whig ticket in Illinois; in 1846 was elected to congress from the Springfield district. In 1858, he was brought prominently before the public by his memorable senatorial contest with the distinguished Stephen A. Douglass. This was the final point in his career which led to his nomination and subsequent election, by the Republican party, to the Presidency. His history illustrates the power of natural capacity, joined to industry, to overcome poverty and other obstacles in the way of obtaining an education, in a country whose institutions give full freedom to the exercise of all manly faculties.

Kaskaskia, a small village and the county seat of Randolph county, is on Kaskaskia River, 10 miles above its confluence with the Mississippi, and on a neck of land between them, two miles from the latter, and 142 miles S. of Springfield. It has the distinction of being the oldest town in Illinois, and, perhaps, in the whole western states. It was founded by Father Gravier, a Catholic missionary, some where about the year 1693. It was, at first, merely a missionary station inhabited by the natives. In 1763, when ceded by the French to the English, it contained about 130 families. It was the first capital of the territory, and retained that rank until 1818.

Judge Hall, in his "Sketches of the West," gives a pleasant picture of the characteristics of the French settlers in this region. Says he:

They made no attempt to acquire land from the Indians, to organize a social system, to introduce municipal regulations, or to establish military defenses; but cheerfully obeyed the priests and the king's officers, and enjoyed the present, without troubling their heads about the future. They seem to have been even careless as to the acquisition of property, and its transmission to their heirs. Finding themselves in a fruitful country, abounding in game, where the necessaries of life could be procured with little labor, where no restraints were imposed by government, and neither tribute nor personal service was exacted, they were content to live in unambitious peace, and comfortable poverty. They took possession of so much of the vacant land around them as they were disposed to till, and no more.