1 5 8 6 ▁amb ush ▁of ▁Gren ville ' s ▁g arrison , ▁an ▁alleg ed ▁attack ▁on ▁White ' s ▁colon ists , ▁and ▁the ▁ 1 6 2 2 ▁Jam est own ▁mass acre . ▁ ▁P urch as ▁offered ▁no ▁evidence ▁for ▁his ▁claim ▁about ▁the ▁ 1 5 8 7 ▁col ony ▁except ▁to ▁state ▁" P ow hat an ▁conf essed ▁to ▁Cap . ▁Smith , ▁that ▁he e ▁had ▁been e ▁at ▁their ▁sla ugh ter , ▁and ▁had ▁divers ▁ut ens ills ▁of ▁their s ▁to ▁she w ." ▁ ▁It ▁is ▁possible ▁John ▁Smith ▁related ▁the ▁story ▁of ▁W ah un sen aca wh ' s ▁conf ession ▁to ▁P urch as , ▁as ▁they ▁are ▁known ▁to ▁have ▁spoken ▁together . ▁ ▁However , ▁Smith ' s ▁own ▁writ ings ▁never ▁mention ▁the ▁conf ession , ▁leaving ▁P urch as ' s ▁claim ▁to ▁stand ▁alone ▁in ▁what ▁historian ▁Helen ▁R ount ree ▁dismiss es ▁as ▁" an ▁anti - Ind ian ▁po lem ic ". ▁ ▁Even ▁if ▁taken ▁at ▁face ▁value , ▁the ▁alleg ed ▁conf ession ▁is ▁not ▁persu as ive , ▁as ▁W ah un sen aca wh ▁might ▁have ▁invent ed ▁the ▁story ▁in ▁an ▁attempt ▁to ▁int im id ate ▁Smith . ▁ ▁The ▁European ▁artifact s ▁alleg edly ▁offered ▁as ▁" proof " ▁of ▁a ▁ra id ▁on ▁the ▁Ro ano ke ▁colon ists ▁could ▁just ▁as ▁easily ▁have ▁been ▁obtained ▁from ▁other ▁sources , ▁such