The Massacre at Fall Creek by Jessamyn West
"The Massacre at Fall Creek" by Jessamyn West is a historical novel set in 1824, exploring the tragic dynamics between a small band of Seneca Indians and white settlers in Indiana. The narrative unfolds in three distinct sections: "The Crime," which details the mindset of settler Jud Clasby and the events leading to the massacre of nine Native Americans; "The Trial," where the apprehended settlers face justice for their actions amidst personal entanglements; and "The Verdict," focusing on the consequences of their crimes and the emotional turmoil of their families. West's storytelling delves into themes of justice, familial bonds, and the complexities of love during a period marked by cultural conflict and violence. The characters are carefully crafted, portraying a spectrum of attitudes toward Native Americans and the moral dilemmas faced by individuals in the community. As the story concludes, it grapples with the notions of retribution and the heavy price of violence, while offering a poignant reflection on human relationships. This novel stands out within West's body of work, resonating with readers who confront issues of morality and societal norms.
On this Page
The Massacre at Fall Creek by Jessamyn West
First published: 1975
Type of work: Historical fiction
Themes: Family, love and romance, law, and race and ethnicity
Time of work: The 1820’s
Recommended Ages: 15-18
Locale: Indiana
Principal Characters:
Caleb Cape , a settler and lay ministerHannah Cape , his seventeen-year-old daughterBen Cape , his fourteen-year-old sonCharlie Fort , Hannah’s lover, who is a defense attorneyJud Clasby , a frontiersmanO. A. Dilk , Hannah’s suitor, who is a prosecution attorneyGeorge Benson , a settlerLuther Bemis , a frontiersman and settlerOra Bemis , his wifeJudge McGowan , a trial judge
The Story
In the first section of The Massacre at Fall Creek, entitled “The Crime,” the author introduces her characters and sets the scene for the interaction between a small band of Seneca Indians and a group of white settlers near Fall Creek, Indiana. Jessamyn West explains the attitude of the typical white settler in 1824 by describing the actions and feelings of Jud Clasby, hunter and trapper, a man who distrusts Native Americans and believes that killing one is no more significant than killing a raccoon or a fox. Jud’s eye falls on the attractive Hannah Cape, and after introducing Hannah, West familiarizes the reader with the entire Cape family: Lizzie, the patient wife; Ben, the fourteen-year-old who witnesses the massacre; and Caleb, the spiritual leader of the community, who serves as the self-appointed conscience of the small group of settlers and who notifies the authorities of the massacre.
In the second section of the novel, “The Trial,” the settlers who massacre the Senecas are apprehended. George Benson, John Wood, Johnny Wood, Jr., and Luther Bemis are captured, put in jail, brought to trial, and convicted for the murder of nine defenseless Native Americans; Jud Clasby, the leader (along with Benson), has escaped and is not charged. West introduces the two teams of lawyers and presiding judge McGowan and continues a thread in the story which runs parallel to her story of the massacre: the wooing of Hannah by Charlie Fort, a defense lawyer, and Oscar Dilk, a lawyer for the prosecution. West shows Hannah’s confusion at the attentions of two handsome young men and her concern about choosing the right man with whom to spend the rest of her life. The three defendants—Benson, Wood, Sr., and Bemis—readily admit to the killings, believing as do most of their fellow settlers that killing Indians is not a crime; Johnny Wood seems oblivious to the trial and surroundings. Being a bit touched in the head, Johnny passes the time in a fictional world of his own.
In “The Verdict,” the novel’s third section, all four convicted defendants await their sentences, to be hanged by their necks until dead, in the local jail guarded by Sheriff Brady. The emphasis in this third section shifts to Luther Bemis and his expectant wife, Ora. Aided by Caleb Cape, Luther escapes to try to visit Ora and his newborn son. His attempt fails, but Caleb arranges for Ora and the young son to visit Luther in jail. Benson rants and raves, unable to believe his friends will not rescue him. John Wood makes his peace with God, and young Johnny reads and daydreams. Hannah Cope chooses Fort over Dilk because she and Fort truly love each other while Dilk simply wishes to be seen with such a beautiful woman as Hannah. In the novel’s last pages, Benson, Bemis, and Wood are hanged and Johnny is spared because he is obviously not able to understand his own actions or the decision of Judge McGowan. The Senecan chiefs who have watched the entire proceedings are satisfied that the needless slaughter of their people has been avenged.
Context
The Massacre at Fall Creek is one of Jessamyn West’s best-known and most positively reviewed books. Friendly Persuasion, a collection of short stories published in 1945, remains her best-known work, but The Massacre at Fall Creek is considered by many critics to be her best-written. A representative comment is the one by Judson Hand, book editor of the New York Sunday News who wrote that The Massacre at Fall Creek is “by far Miss West’s best novel.” The majority of West’s works from Friendly Persuasion (1945) to The State of Stony Lonesome (1984) have been popular with readers and favorably reviewed by critics. For the most part unaffected by critical analyses, either positive or negative, West has published novels, poems, screenplays, and short story collections and has had a long and distinguished literary career. In her vigorous and often eloquent style, she has written most often of simple people who encounter difficulties and overcome them. The Massacre at Fall Creek fits neatly into the canon of her work as both typical of her major concerns and perhaps her most powerful account of an important cultural conflict; in the novel, she raises questions of justice and retribution in the midst of the significant human drama of family relationships and young love. West’s novel should quite strongly appeal to both adult and young adult readers, especially young adult readers who are themselves wrestling with their own developing codes of right and wrong as they pertain to societal issues and to matters of the heart.