Litchfield enquirer., 1851-08-07
From The UIiea Gazette.
Narrow Escape or Rev, Dr. Bacon.

Narrow Escape or Rev. Or. Bacon
a letter received from the Rev. w. I
Williams, mentions the capture and rob
J berry of Rev. DIR. Leonard Bacon OF New
Haven, now travelling in the East, by thu
Arabs. Previous letters had stated tina
DR.. Bacon and his party, consisting o
his son and the Rev. Mr.. Marsh, OF thu
A. B. c. +. NJ, were fellow travellers o
Mr.. Williams and family during their re-
moval from Beirut to Mosul, from which
place DR.. B. had proceeded on his jour
ney. The letter from which we extract
is dated Mosul, June 8.
Here l was interrupted and amazed
by the unexpected announcement thai
Mr. Marsh had returned with the gentle
men. After few moments they came,
a sad woeworn looking cavalcade.
They we're here only able to hire ami
) mails to Akr-three days off, and were
detained there from Friday, p. NJ, till
Monday, in hiring other animals, which
time the Aga there improved by forward
ing letters into the mountains to every
Aga on their route, that Franks were
coming who must be plundered and MUIR
dercd. This was, of course not learned
by them till long afterwards. Tuesday
night they were disturbed bv armed Wis,
itors, whom their host had great Difficult
ty in quie ling, The next day they were
way>laid. captured, baggage searched.
and relieved of all their money and much
of their clothing, and q long consultation
was held as to whether they should be
murdered or not. Their watches which
they had put into their fobs, were not,
found, the Koords understanding nothing
Of the mystery of breeches pockets.
The Aga to whom they had been bro't
would not allow his men to plumber, re.
serving that luxury to himself. The
Aga's wife was vigorous in using all her
influence for their deliyeranee, and after
many hours Of suspense, they were sent
off under an escort to Moolah of res
nowped sanctity, who protected them at
his own house two nights and one day,
and then escorted them on their road till
they were in comparative safety; with
great difficulty delivering them from the
malice of a third Aga, who sent one son
and then another to kill them, and then
came himself to sec why his orders were
not compiled with. All the Moolah's in
fluencc and arguments were called into
requisition, but he succeeded in putting
them safely on their route to Mosul, and
to-day, after mostexhausting fortnight's
labor, when they should have been in
Oroomiah, they are all here from whence
they started.
The means which God used for their
safety was the company of their host of
Tuesday night, with them on the road
Wednesday. The plot evidently was to
have killed and plundered them informal
ly, and in such way that the authori-
ties could deny all knowledge and lay it
to some wandering robbers; and this old
man being with them led to parley, and
this to the hiring of the Williams as their
escort, to the very house of the scoun-
drel Aga, who then did not know what
to do or how to act. He was afraid to
let them go, for Franks have influence,
afraid tn kill them, for Franks are looked
after. and finally he sent them to the
Mufti, and they escaped.
At a rough guess, | should say that
the value Of the things taken was 800,
and $50 in money. The thieves acted
strangely. They gave back to Mr. Marsh
his gold pencil, and bounced upon bat
tered tin cup. The daguerreotypes they
took no fancy to, and the firearms they
restored, but shirts and handkerchiefs
Jared hard, as did tarbooches and caps"