Son Witnesses Murders

Jesse Anderson, a free African American, owned a farm about 2 ½ miles southwest of Fort Allison erected near Russellville Lawrence County, Illinois in 1812. One day in the autumn of that year Anderson, in company with two of his sons, Eli and Caleb, started from the fort to the farm in quest of provisions.  Caleb, who was mounted, reached the farm considerably in advance of the other two and noticing a suspicious look about the premises, instead of stopping at the house, rode on past it about 250 yards, and resting under the shade of a tree, dismounted and awaited further developments.

Soon after, Jesse and his son Eli came up and not suspecting anything wrong, advanced until they came within fifty yards of the house, when they were fired upon by the Indians, who were concealed in the house.  Upon this the two men turned and ran in an opposite direction, but they had not run far when the old man fell mortally wounded. Upon this Eli stopped, and turning around, remained near the body of his father until the Indians who had started in pursuit, immediately after the first shot, came within short range. Eli fired at them wounding one of their number, but he was himself killed.

Caleb Anderson, who had remained a terror-stricken eye- witness of the tragedy, now mounted his horse and commenced a ride for his life, which however was of short duration, as nine of the Indians were mounted.  He, however, narrowly escaped, being forced into a swamp which surely must have saved him from being captured.

On returning with a detachment of men from the fort, Anderson found his father where he fell, minus his scalp, and his brother propped up against the fence in a sitting position, chopped up and mangled in a horrible manner because of his having wounded the Indian. The party followed the trail of the Indians nearly as far as where Pinkstaff is now but fearing to go too far from the fort with such a small force they returned.