The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1832-03-27
MEMOIR OF II. ISLAND.

uuotaton from Calender, wo nave con-
,inued it up TO the settlement Of the Is
land by the English. We shall now 60
hack and notice some incidents which
took place in the territory, now Rhode
Island, before any serious, or successful
a,,emp, was made to settle colony here.
"Men,ion is made by Hubbard of
storm Aug. Is. 1885, which by his des-
cription was more violent than any that
has ever happened since. Many houses
we're blown down, and many more un-
covered, the Indian corn every where
bea, down to the ground so MS not to rise
again: the tide rose twenty feet perpen-
dicular. At Narragansett the Indians
were obliged to betake themselves to the
trees, and yet many ofthem were drown
ed, the tide of food returning before the
usual TINA for it."--Hutchinson, p. 53.
John Oldham who first sottled at
Plymouth, and afterwards removed to
Massachusetts, was, we believe, the first
Englishman who contemplated settle
ment on the Narraganrett-Bay. In Bay
lies memoir Of New Plymouth, b. j.
u. l33,-Oldham is thus noticed:--"He
was daring trader among the Indians
and so great was the attachment of the
Nara gansetts to him, that they gave
him an Island in the Bay, (now called
Prudence,) to induce him to settle near
them" Whether Capt. Oldham set up
trading house on the Island. or not, we
have no evidence He was murdered
by the Indians, August, 1886; and the
Island was sold to Gov. Winthrop of
Massachusetts, and Roger Williams of
Providence.
The circumstances Of John Oldham's
death, rs extracted from Trumbull's his
tory Of Connecticut, are as follows
"John Oldham who had been fairly
trading at Connecticut was murdered
near Block-Island. He had with him
only two boys and two Narraganset In
dians. These were taken and carried
of. One John Gallop, as he was going
from Connecticut to Boston, discovered
Mr.. Oldham's vessel full Of Indians, and
he saw a canoe, having Indians on
board. go from her laden with goods.
Suspecting that they had murdered Mr..
Oldham. he hailed them, but received no
answer. Gallop was bold man, and
though he had with him but one man and
two boys, he Immediately bore down up
on them and fired duck shot SO thick a.
mong them, that he soon cleared the
deck. The Indians all got under the
matches. He then stood of, and running
down upon her quarter with brisk gale
nearly oyerset her, and so frighted the
Indians, that six of them leaped into the
sea, and ere drowned. He then steer
off again, and running down upon her
second time, bored her with his anchor
and raked her fore and aft with his shot.
But the Indians kept themselves so close,
that he got loose from her; and running
down third time, upon the vessel, he
gave her such shock, that five more
leaped overheard. as the former had
done. He then boarded the vessel, and
took two Of the Indians and bound them.
Two or three others, armed with swords,
in little room below, could not be driv-
en- from their retreat. Mr.. Oldham's
corpse was found on board; the head
split and the body mang'ed in a barba-
rous manner. He was Dorchester
man, one Of Mr. Wareham's congrega-
ton, In these circumstances, Gallop,
fearing that the Indians whom he had ta-
ken, might get loose, especially if they
were kept together, aud having no place
where he cnuld keep them apart, threw
one Of them overbourd. Gallop and his
company, then, as decently as circum-
stances would permit. put the corpse in
to the sea. They striped the vessel, and
took her rigging, and the goods which
had not been carried of, on board their
own. She was taken in tow with view
TO carry her in, but the nigh. coming on,
and the wind rising. Gallon was obliged