Benjamin Fisher - Wrong Place, Wrong Time

Found the following on Rootsweb.ancestry.com & Confirmed by the Anderson, IN Newspaper

Having survived an Indiana winter by hunting and subsisting on what meager crops could be planted late in the year before, the men of the families began making plans for clearing more land for planting and pasture.

For this job, the ax was the most important tool. Since tools work best when in prime condition, Benjamin Fisher made a trip in March of 1821 to the nearest settlement that had a grindstone for sharpening axes — Strawtown.

In Hamilton County, Strawtown on the south bank of White River had been a village of Native Americans and was still frequented by them. In 1821, there was only one white family living at the location, the Shintappers.

Besides having a grindstone, Mr. Shintapper made his own liquor and sold it to the “Indians” that still resided in the area. Once they were drunk, Shintapper, according to Charles, would abuse and even torture them. Shintapper on one occasion burned an inebriated “red man” until the victim was crippled for life. In another instance, Shintapper threw a tribal member into a huge fire, and this victim burned to death.

The Native Americans were “justly incensed” reported Charles Fisher, and that spring ten of them armed themselves with knives and tomahawks and decided as revenge to kill Shintapper on a day when they thought he would be alone. Unfortunately, the day they chose was the same day that Benjamin Fisher and additionally Jacob Hiers and John Colip, settlers from Hamilton County, just happened to arrive to sharpen their axes.

The pioneer farmers had not been with Shintapper long before the warriors approached and made their intentions obvious with vigor. The whites banded together for defense with the Shintapper cabin at their backs. There was a sturdy five rail fence surrounding the small pasture around the cabin, and the natives took an offensive position outside the fence. The “red men” would attack over the fence, and the “whites” would chase them back in retreat. The warriors would then turn and charge again, making the settlers race back to the cabin. During one of these assaults, Shintapper was hit with a club and knocked down. Hiers struck the attacker on the head and killed him. This first death produced more rage in the natives, and so the back and forth maneuvering escalated. It was in a later retreat that Benjamin was killed. In running back to the cabin to elude the warriors, Benjamin stumbled and fell to the ground. Several Indians jumped him when he was down and using their tomahawks began pounding his head, breaking open his skull. Death was quick and inevitable. With energy spent and in shock from the loss of their comrades, both sides by unspoken mutual agreement stopped and gathered bodies and the wounded. The natives left the scene.

Son Charles pointed out in one of his interviews that his father was not scalped. He further explained that Benjamin was buried near the sight of the skirmish, and that Benjamin’s was the first grave in what would become the Strawtown Cemetery. This burial ground is still in use.