Hannah Dustin

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f.Channell
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Hannah Dustin

Post by f.Channell »

Don't know how many of you have heard of Hannah Dustin. In 1697 her town was attacked by Indians, her husband the minister and most of her children slaughtered. She watched while they swung her 10 day old daughter into a tree because she wouldn't stop crying. Bashing her head in. They then lit her house on fire.

Well two weeks later she woke in the night and with the help of a young boy acquired a tomahawk and slaughtered all 10-12 Indians while they slept. Then took their scalps which she collected a bounty for.

I like the story because it shows what people are capable of if they need to be. It shows that women have the capacity to kill if necessary.

Be sure to read the Cotton Mather version for the full unwatered down version.

Hannah knew no one was coming to save her, she was fully aware of what they had done and what her fate would be.

Amazing woman.

http://kingsley.locke.net/gen/dustin/hannah.htm

Cotton Mather version.

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plai ... stin2.html

Here's a woman that needs a movie Dana!

F.
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Dana Sheets
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Post by Dana Sheets »

There's an interesting parallel to this and some of the stuff in DeBecker's book. It is that common feeling we all have that murder is terrible, but murder someone we love and it will be terrible for you.

How closely related we are to the victims of violence (or how closely they are related to each other) plays a huge role in how we respond. The brotherhood of war, the stockholm syndrome, blind revenge (such as in Jody Foster's new movie as well as the classic of Taxi Driver), instant, wrathful responses.

How many times have we heard the stereotype of "she might not fight back for herself but God help you if you hurt her kids" or "kill anyone else, but you kill my family and I kill you" kind of mentalities.

On NPR this morning I learned that Winston Churchill was in favor of summary executions of the Nazis held in the Nuremberg Trials. The Russian leadership was also in that camp. However it was the US that staunchly upheld the rule of law and required the trial. Wonder why we're having trouble holding that same line today?
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f.Channell
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Post by f.Channell »

Remember at this time she was a British citizen and they were having a war of some type with the French. Queen Anne's or King Phillips I can't recall.
American values of a fair trial and justice were in their infancy.
The Governor of Mass or New York had the ability to order an armed assault on Quebec.
And of course remember this really happened, it wasn't a movie.
I think most of us post 9-11 were looking for speedy justice, did we get it?

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Dana Sheets
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Post by Dana Sheets »

And that's really a great point. "Speedy" and "Justice" seem to rarely share company.
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f.Channell
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Post by f.Channell »

She got her speedy justice.

She could have accepted her fate after several days with no hope. But she seized her opportunity and perhaps not for revenge but for her own safety and future.

The indians got what they deserved in any case.

The unification and the working together between the states to avenge these things, eventually led us to unite against the English. So Hannah in a small part, helped this to happen.

Great story.

F.
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