Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1846-07-02
THE FIGHT AT TURNER'S FALLS
A Tale of Indian Warfare.

The reader who is familiar with the broad basin
Of water, where the Connecticut sweeps round in a
quarter Of circle before it tumbles over the cas-
cade at Turner'S Falls, will remember scene that
is throughout very placid and quiet above the falls,
and very wild and turbulent below them The wa
tiers, the woods and meadows, on the upper side,
present uniform and unbroken appearance; and
when the sun Of fire day throws into contrast the
deep green Of the woods and the lighte! green of
the grass inviting you to drowsness, which is gent
ly encouraged by the sound of water, dashlng on
the rocks, far below Few other noises are heard
there, unless it be now and then the quick, fiat,
clapping sound Of plank, down falling on some
raft that is sailing the river, the grating OF the
ferrymans wire, as he pulls his boat across the ba
SIM Occasionally, however, shallow barge, with
large square-sa set low upon its mast, shoots out
Of the canal that runs round the falls and the boat
men are singing song. There are creeks too,
half mile above the ferry, which run back among
high rocks and overhanging woods, where the wa
ter has no motion, and where you may rest all day
long in your skiff, forgetting-so deep is the still
ness-that there is such thing as time. But i'm
mediately below the falls and as far the eye can
reach down the channel Of the river, everything is
wild, abrupt and broken. The broad stream takes
its course along the base of high rocky mountain,
that stretches parallel with the water and looks like
great portion Of the earths backbone, protrudng
through its surface The pines that grow on The
sides of this ridge, are irregular and jagged and
many of the larger ones have fallen from the want
of soil overcoming their feeble hold on the rocks
by their own weight. The bed Of the river is a
mass of broken rocks, that keep the waters in a
constant boil, long after they have escaped from
the tumult Just beneath the cascade itself There
is feeling of nsecurty-enough to make you dis
mount your horsc--as you wind around the corner
of the abrupt rock, where the road brings you in
of. Al folis ha IN oh
several hundred feet perpendicular to the bed oil
the river and nothing but certain destruction could
be the fate Of man or beast that should go dowr
there.
Like the great cataract OF the West, Turner
falls has an island in the centre. Indeed II is thu
Niagara of the neighborhood in more than one o
its features; for il is shaped like horseshoe, ant
you may see a rainbow there any day when the sur
shines, The little island Of quarter oil an acre
the ferrymen can you down to it's the hes
point from which to see the striking contrast be
tween the scenery above and that below the falls
and if you have ever seen il, you will agree will
me that the whole is sngularly in keeping with tn
contrast between an evening and morning tina
once passed over that spot in the year 1878.
Philip, the great sachem of the Pokanokets, ha
long had in agitation plan for the union of hi
own tribe and the NaTaganselts with the Mohawk
against the English. For the purpose of NOR
ready communication WIN inc ldteI nd'oi, nc ia
passed the winter Of rs with about three hundre
Of his tribe-men, women and children-on III
Connecticut, at the place we have described. TIL
spring had almost bloomed into summer, when h
spies-who kept up constant intercourse betwee
his quarters and those of the Mohawks on the Mort
River-brought him word that that people had
nally refused him the alliance he had been so Ion
endeavoring to negotiate. They had learned tn
he himself had murdered some of their men, for Il
sake Of exasperating them against the English il
snuating that il had been done by them All il
tercourse between the two tribes being thus CT
short by the discovery Of his reachery, he prepa
ed to proceed southwark, on the very day when Il
battle, or rather massacre, which we are about
relate, took place.
It was abou, noon on the sixteenth of Ma
1875, when body of ore hundred and fifty mt
rode slowly into the village of Hatfield, comman
ed by pale aud emsciated young man who seeI