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History of the Indian Tribes of Hudson's River — Passage 54 (part 2)

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[Edward Manning Ruttenber (1872)] Some pigs were stolen from De Vries's plantation on Staten island, as it subsequently appeared " by the servants of the company, then (1640) going to the South river to trade, and who landed on the island to take in wood and water; " but, as Kieft professed to believe, by the Indians. He accused the Raritans of the offense, and, on the sixteenth of July, commissioned Secretary Van Tienhoven to proceed, with one hundred men, to their territory and demand satisfaction. The Raritans denied the commission of the offense, and satisfied the secretary; but the troops under him were bent on mischief, and scarcely had he left them when they made an attack, killed several of the Indians, took one of their chiefs 1 De Fries, New York Historial Society Racdt, Documentary History y iv, 101, 102. Collections, ad series, i, 263 j Breeden 102 7HE INDIAN TRIBES captive, and mangled the body of another. The Raritans retaliated by attacking De Vries's plantation, killed four of his planters and burned his dwelling and tobacco house. Kieft followed with a proclamation announcing the policy of exter mination, and offering a bounty of ten fathoms of wampum for the head of every Raritan which should be brought to him. Holding their own grievances in abeyance, some of the Long Island warriors took up the hatchet against the Raritans, and brought in at least one head for the director's gratification, but the great body of the Indians refused the tempting offer.