Editorialana. 419
his trustees that he would not serve
unless they would pledge them-
selves to raise an endowment fund. They
decided to start at once.
The financial committee which will have
charge of raising the fund
consists of L. P. Baldwin, D. Z. Norton
and W. S. Hayden. Its power
to name other members is unlimited.
Until the endowment fund is
raised the museum will be supported as
for the past two years, in part
on its guarantee fund and in part from
the proceeds of a lecture course.
The report of W. H. Cathcart as
secretary of the trustees, opened
the meeting. In it he briefly reviewed
the work of the year giving great
praise to Librarian A. M. Dyer for his
able and energetic management.
He strongly urged the need of an
endowment fund.
The board, as at present organized,
consists of A. T. Brewer, J. H.
Wade and C. A. Grasselli (until 1908),
Ralph King, Douglas Perkins
and D. Z. Norton (until 1909), A. L.
Withington, E. M. Avery and Am-
brose Swazey (until 1910), C. W.
Bingham, H. C. Ranney and James
Barnett (until 1911), and S. P. Baldwin,
Webb C. Hayes and L. E.
Holden (until 1912).
The new president has been connected
with the society for seven-
teen years and has been known as an active
worker in local historical
circles. The other officers elected were
vice presidents, J. D. Rockefeller,
Jacob Perkins, D. C. Baldwin and Col. 0.
J. Hodge; treasurer, E. V.
Hale; secretary, W. S. Hayden;
corresponding secretary, A. L. With-
ington; librarian, A. M. Dyer.
ATTACK ON FORT ST. CLAIR.
We are glad to be able to present to our
readers an extract of
interest pertaining to the battle of
Fort St. Clair, fought near Eaton,
Preble Co., in the days of white
settlement and Indian ravage. It has
been handed to us by a student who is
doing research work in early
Ohio history and is copied from a file,
now owned by the State Library,
of the Sentinel of the North-West
Territory, the first paper ever pub-
lished in any of the five states
comprising that area. Its opening num-
ber was issued from the corner of Front
and Sycamore streets, Cincin-
nati, on November 9, 1793, by Wm.
Maxwell, publisher. The entire file
was preserved by Peyton Symmes of the
famous Symmes family and was
presented to the State Library by Col.
John James of Urbana. It is the
only one in the world.
The paper from which this article was
taken has interesting notes
on the proceedings of the National
Convention of France and advertise-
ments for the opening of the first
packet line on the Ohio River.
The account reads:
CINCINNATI, November 9, 1793.
Many reports having been circulated with
respect to the attack
made by the savages, upon a convoy of
provisions, some little time ago,
420 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
between Fort St. Clair and Fort
Jefferson, the following is an authentic
account of that affair:
Lieut. Lowrie of the second and Ensign
Boyd, of the first and
second sub legions, with a command
consisting of about ninety, non-
commissioned officers and privates,
having under their convoy twenty
wagons, loaded with grain and
commissaries' stores, were attacked be-
tween daylight and sunrise, seven miles
advanced of Fort St. Clair, on
the morning of the 17th ult. (October,
1793, E. M.) These two gallant
young gentlemen, with thirteen
non-commissioned officers and privates,
bravely fell in action. It would appear
that after the fall of the officers,
the party did not make much resistance,
which was naturally to be
expected.
The Indians killed or carried off about
seventy horses, leaving
the wagons and store standing in the
road, and they were brought into
the camp six miles advanced of Fort
Jefferson, on the 20th ult., with
scarcely any loss or damage, except what
is before related.
SACREDNESS OF INDIAN GRAVES.
In reply to an inquiry made by Secretary
George Martin of the
Kansas State Historical society,
Attorney General Jackson handed down
an opinion to the effect that it is just
as much of a crime to open
Indian graves even in the interest of
archaeological research as it is to
open the graves of white people. He says
the law nowhere permits the
opening of graves for archaeological or
scientific research.
"I know of no reason," he says
in conclusion, "why Indian graves
should be despoiled any more than
another. The rights of the red man
should be respected as much as those of
whites or blacks. All the
natural instincts and feelings of
humanity cry out against the violation of
sepulture. Except in the interest of
justice or prompted by motives of
love and duty, the sanctity of each
deceased person's 'six feet of earth'
should not be disturbed."
LIFE MEMBERS.
Since the Annual Meeting of the Society
(March 22, 1907) the fol-
lowing have been elected Life Members of
the Society: Hon. Charles A.
Hanna, New York; Hon. Jacob G.
Schmidlapp, Cincinnati; Hon.
Florien Giauque, Cincinnati; Mr. George
M. Finckle, Columbus; Hon.
William H. Taft, Washington, D. C.; Dr.
George R. Love, Toledo;
Colonel John W. Harper, Cincinnati; Mr.
Frazer E. Wilson, Green-
ville; Prof. Frank P. Goodwin,
Cincinati; Rev. R. J. Richmond, Mc-
Connellsville; and Judge Rufus B. Smith,
Cincinnati; Hon. Drausin
Wulsin, Cincinnati.