(4) Mr. Neville B. Craig, in Olden Time, says in 1847 that “many years before a Mr. James McKee, the brother of Mr. William Johnson’s deputy, had told him that he had seen the speech in the handwriting of one of the Johnsons ... before it was seen by Logan.”  This is a hearsay statement delivered just seventy-three years after the event, and it is on its face so wildly improbable as not to need further comment, at least until there is some explanation as to why the Johnsons should have written the speech, how they could possibly have gotten it to Logan, and why Gibson should have entered into the conspiracy.

(5) A Benjamin Tomlinson testifies that he believes that the speech was fabricated by Gibson; he hints, but does not frankly assert, that Gibson was not sent after Logan, but that Girty was; and swears that he heard the speech read three times and that the name of Cresap was not mentioned in it.

He was said in later life to bear a good reputation; but in his deposition he admits under oath that he was present at the Yellow Creek murder (Olden Time, II., 61; the editor, by the way, seems to call him alternately Joseph and Benjamin); and he was therefore an unconvicted criminal, who connived at or participated in one of the most brutal and cowardly deeds ever done on the frontier.  His statement as against Gibson’s would be worthless anyhow; fortunately his testimony as to the omission of Cresap’s name from the speech is also flatly contradicted by Clark.  With the words of two such men against his, and bearing in mind that all that he says against the authenticity of the speech itself is confessedly mere supposition on his part, his statement must be promptly set aside as worthless.  If true, by the way, it would conflict with (4) Craig’s statement.

This is literally all the “evidence” against the speech.  It scarcely needs serious discussion; it may be divided into two parts—­one containing allegations that are silly, and the other those that are discredited.

There is probably very little additional evidence to be obtained, on one side or the other; it is all in, and Logan’s speech can be unhesitatingly pronounced authentic.  Doubtless there have been verbal alterations in it; there is not extant a report of any famous speech which does not probably differ in some way from the words as they were actually spoken.  There is also a good deal of confusion as to whether the council took place in the Indian town, or in Dunmore’s camp; whether Logan was sought out alone in his hut by Gibson, or came up and drew the latter aside while he was at the council, etc.  In the same way, we have excellent authority for stating that, prior to the battle of the Great Kanawha, Lewis reached the mouth of that river on October 1st, and that he reached it on October 6th; that on the day of the attack the troops marched from camp a quarter of a mile, and that they marched three quarters; that the