name by which they were last designated was that of the creek now called " Murderer's " their first name from

; disappears the early records almost simultaneously with the appearance of the latter, 1 and with the general classification of " Esopus Indians," while the territory assigned to them had no

other known occupants, rich though it was in all the ele ments of favorite hunting grounds. The Waoranecks parti cipated in the Esopus wars, if not in the wars at Fort Am sterdam, and at the Dans-kammer celebrated those frightful orgies called kinte-kaying,

regarded

by the

Dutch as devil worship. Their

relations

with

Indians 2

the

Esopus were such that there can be no hazard in classing

them as one

"five tribes," so called, of the Eso

of the

pus

Their

country.

sachem

in

1685, was

Werekepes, or Wereand Moringa3 maghan and Awessepekes,

Maringoman's Castle.

wa principal chiefs. 2d.

The WarranawonkongsS

of the Esopus chieftaincies.

This was the most numerous Their territory extended from the

This creek is first called Murderer's on Van der Donck's map, 1656, and was so called doubtless from events occurring

during the first Esopus war. Esopus is supposed to be derived from " Sopus Seepus, a river. Reichel says Indian, or a lonvlander" :

" castle" and

house where John McLean now (1756), He subse dwells, near the said kill."

removed to what is called a " wigwam," which stood on the north bank of Murderer's creek, where Col. Matthews lives." The location is in Hamptonburgh, on the point of land quently