The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-07-25
THE NATIONAL ERA.
WASHINGTON, JULY %, 1850.
BY MARTHA RUSSELL.

BY MARTHA hoScsLl"
To follow the custom OF certain wise and learn
ed historians, reader, we ought to begin at tbs
beginning, I'VE had well nigh put that in French
but, after all old English is the best and speak Of
the geographical position Of our village, aefne it
boundaries and area, describe its geological form
atoms its rivers, lakes, and mountains, flor il
has at least, what we dignity by these names
the number of its inhabitants, &c. but we dis.
like details, and, besides are not very wise our.
selves, having never been quite able to compre-
bend why the sun, which always rises in the east
as seen from our home, should, from the other
side Of Totoket, seem to rise In directly oppo-
site direction
Moreover, the country round about us is 80
hEoken, the reads go full Of crooks and turns that
unless you have Mscgregor's aversion to plains,
you will not care to seek us out. Passing by,
therefore, these particulars, we viii proceed to
speak of the wars, foreign and civil, that have
at various times caused dire commotion within
our precincts-for, in this respect, our experience
somewhat resembles that Of Hector Homespun,
the renowned tailor, in Cooper's tale of the Red
Roverp
We begin with the Pequod war, when those
redoubted Captains Mason Of Connecticut and
Stoughton of Massachusetts, pursued the royal
Sassacus and his routed tribe along our borders,
hating at the adjoining settlement Of Menunk-
atuck, to behead two captive sachems, who nobly
refused to betray their chief. The name of the
..:rt L. t. 4.
the site of fashionable watering place, but we
never pace the broad piazzas of the "Sachem
Head House" without recalling this scene, and
it requires little aid from fancy TO picture forth
the spot as 1t was at that time-the rocky point,
covered with the primeval growth Of the forest
the white-crested waves of the Sound, sweeping
toward the beach like train Of white-cowled
friars, chanting in low, monotonous murmurs
solemn masses for the souls Of the waiting VIC
Tins; the handful of soldiers, resting on their
arms-worn, weary, emaciated by their harsssing
march through the wilderness-garing with stern
countenanoes, not untouched by admiration, on
those stately stocs of the woods, as they calmly,
and somewhat contemptuously, await the order
which shall send them to the happy hunting
ground while in the foreground stood the Eng
lish captains-grim, gaunt, and uudismayed-the
very personi6caiion Of. Puritan courage
We shall not stay to describe the dour resist
ance which our village made to the union Of the
New Haven colony with that of Connecticut,
seeing that ii IL duly set forth in that famous re-
monstrance called the New Haven case stated v
nor dwell on the zeal with which our fathers sped
the regicides on their way towards that settle
ment, while the Kings commissioners sat slipping
their Clip" with good old Governor Leete
at Menunkatuck-for before us lies the days Of
Seventy
An. reader could Won iust sit down nv our ain.
gle side. we would have long chat about tbose
ner;lous times and wa voo,d oct the src;er,s =,
our VILLAGE IN tell mo of tho snir;t With vb,ch
their fathers and brothers resnonded n wasb;no.
toms reouisitiou for more Sroops Of Governor
Tryon,s piratioal exnedition n New Haven. Of
the bu, a and confusion in our ou;s. farm bouses
as the echo of his cannon leaned from hill, 70 Hill
and of the stern and Of the mat.
rons. as thew hacked THAR valuables and cave
their orders 10 their sunerannustea .aves or bovs
too Young for the camn nrenaratorv 70 seek;nv
safety for Themselves and their ,;tt,s one. amid
49, o., ,r, -
not one Of tbose who deem the Cbinsae n,ant A
nuisance vou shou,d ain vour sven;u. hsverage
from ora - IT,. IT, ch;,. . wh;oh a.,. e.
hack in ,hs Co,onv ,;n.. .na - :, ohorco ~ n.
a simmer svsn;n, ws would r,ace N. ron,d ton.
table IA mart Of ,hs wsdd;no nort;on ~ ana or those
same matrons, urdsr tho arao, b;clorv IN From, q,
the bouse-a mao, sno, 20 g r.,suh.- The a.v. a,
LAP o. 80, r. - :. -.
ssventv.sv. year, AGO 10 smoo,h I;,hs .,s .srvsd
a. ,ar,., o., o.-..;n .a,.,,. :, -,
,hs;, vonnr oonrad.. a. 49,,
hr;sfd.vs thu hard .er,;Os ., ,hs ..nn -. a-
osho,o so,ns I'D, % ~ - ~ 80
o,oa, Ino,, .,o,ou- 49, >.
Stood tho ola aruhonso No,,;,s -. :.
mary .. ~. ..v. .n.h, LII :, a.
turf. and thoss h-.vs- hs.r,sd hov. -, r.,
thew fan w;,h $500. - 49,: 80.
field of Whit plain. ano,h.r -. -. '
passed away hnt ~. ala .,,lo-, o., >. -.
still in ts heart uv.s =, ..;.,.;. :. :,
LIGHT and a.w h,..-;. -, =
summer and r.,,,,. T. -.
every .,,nmn - $50.
children " " '"' "'A''' VI '''
But we forget that Wa have ,.k.n imam on.
selves the office Of veritab,e h,s,or;.n ,h.r.so..
leaving this household ,h.d. =. ,h.,, No.. hn
slightly here the great domestic s.nd ,h., ala.
the village a Ia Mowoou, :, CO., ..u.-s.~,
about the year 1872 AZ "a Al. 49,. $3.50 :
"pitch;ny thstuns. IN W.. sr,.ss :
to saw that ., ~. -. .s '1'"', :.