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The following account is taken from The Mundell (Mundle) Family" by Ruth Mundell Barry & Audrey Lee Woodruff, pages 6-7.
About 1777, the inhabitants of this section [Greene County, PA] were divided into two parties, the Whigs and the Tories.
The Whigs favored the Declaration of Independence; the Tories favored King George of England. The English incited the Indians
and also the Tories by furnishing renegades and other men of criminal desire, and gave money, weapons and supplies to the
Indians and Tories to terrorize and to drive out the Whigs. A deep plot was laid covering this country and nearby settlements.
WHIG MASSACRE PREVENTED
In the writings of historian Withers' "Chronicles of Border Warfare," he says that this plot or conspiracy to murder the Whigs
was prevented from being carried out by the repenting of one person. That after the discovery of this plot a league was formed
to retaliate on the Tories, and many crimes were committed. He also says that a court of inquiry was organized at Redstone
Fort, and that many arrests and trials took place also that one of the leaders lost his life. Monongahela and Cumberland
Townships were the scene of events... Many thought that the Revolutionary War then being waged would fail, and they feared
that England would then take all of their land and confiscate them for the sude of Great Britain.
PROOF
A settler by the name of James Mundell came to Colonel William Crawford and warned him against threatened danger. At first
he refused to tell Colonel Crawford much, but merely warned him. Later, fearing his own safety, he told what had threatened,
and that there existed a plot; that a crisis was soon to come, and that time Colonel Crawford, Colonel John Minor, and Rev.
John Corbly were to be killed. These were all recognized as leaders of the Whig Party. A general idea of the feeling existed
between the parties along the western frontier may be obtained from knowing what occured in the region about Rice's Landing,
Carmichaels, and Mapleton, the Swan-Van Meter Fort, Crawford's Fort, and Minor's Fort.
PLOT REVEALED
At the Crawford Fort there lived in one of the cabins a hatter by trade. It was thought that he was a strong Whig. He owned
two large plantations nearby. A friend from Delaware visited him for a few days. He then left the fort and became a Tory
leader. It was at his cabin that James Mundell overheard the plot which he mentioned to Colonel Crawford. A few days later
a German blacksmith by the name of John Mason, came to Colonel Crawford in much trouble. He said one of his German neighbors
came to tell him and said, "John, I must tell you something I have sworn not to tell." Mason then said to his neighbor, "You
have not promised that you will not tell my horse standing hitched there. Tell him." The neighbor then told aloud in the
presence of Mason. He said that Colonel Crawford was to be killed in three days, that a plot existed; that in a few days
the British would take Pittsburgh; that the Indians were about to attack and capture Wheeling; and that there was to be a
Tory uprising,and many of the most obstinate Whigs were to be killed. This plot was told to Colonel Crawford by John Mason.
As Mason's English was imperfect, Crawford took him to James Carmichael, who lived a short distance away and understood German.
The plot had been rightly understood, Carmichael went the next day to see Col. Gaddis and Major Springer at Blue Mountain
beyond where Uniontown now is, and they soon raised forty mounted men, who immediately came to the scenes of the principal
trouble. Col. Gaddis camped at Provin's Fort on the east bank of the Monongahela River. This fort stodd between McCann's
Ferry and the mouth of Big Whitely, but it was doubtless below. The next morning they noticed that they were being watched;
that a man riding a sorrel horse came on the opposite side of the river to within full view of them, then suddenly turned
and under whip and spur galloped away.
TORY CAMP RAIDED
The officers then without delay ordered the men to mount and dash toward the Tory encampment. Where they crossed the river
is not known to me. Hyde's Ferry at the mouth of the Big Whitely was the principal crossing near... One-fourth mile before
reaching the Tory encampment they captured a sentinel, and made him go in front of the camp. A Tory who was to fire first
as a signal for the others, seeing his brother would be greatly endangered, did not fire but ran away. The others followed.
Some sought cover in a nearby cornfield. There were about one hundred of them. Placing some men about the cornfield, the
others entered it. Twelve of the Tories were captured.
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