Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1859-06-10
"The Battle of the Frogs"


count of the centennial celebration given il
honor of Mrs. Amy Spaulding, of Wash
ing,on. on her hundredth lirth-day, in whicl
allu>ion was made TO the celebrated ''Battl'
of Frogs" which happend in 1853, il
4 Windham, CT, the town in which Mrs
Spaulding was born. Since then, we hav'
received pamphlet containing several diff
fervnt accounts, which have ben given o
the "Battle." and a varity OF ballads anC
songs, written at different times on tn,
same subject. These accounts have beer
carefully collected by William L. Weaver
ESQ.,, to whom we are indebted for copy
He is now preparing history of Wind
ham, which is one Of the oldest towns II
Connecticut, and its annals if faithfully
presented, will have many incidents OF his
toricdl interest.
As matter Of general curiosity, we pre-
sent that account of the Frog Battle
which is considered AZ most reliable:
"On dark, cloudy, dismal night in the
month of July, A. D., 1853, the inhabitants
of Windham, q small Town in the eastern
part of Connecticut, Family prayer having
been duly and reverently performed
around each altar,) had retired for rest, and
for several hours, all were wrapt in pro-
found repose-when suddenly, soon after
midnight, the slumbers OF the peaceful in
halitants were disturbed by most terrific
noise in the sky. right over their heads.
which, to many, seemed the yeils and
screeches of inuriated Indians, and Others
ha I no other way of accounting for the aw-
ful sounds, which still kept increasing, but
by supposing that the day of judgement
hal .riainly come, and to their terrified
imaginaious, the awful upro r in the air
seem the immediate precursor of the
clangor of the lat trumpet AT intervals.
m my supposed they could distinguish the
calling ont of the particular names, as OF
Col. Dyer. Elderkin, two eminent lawyers.
and this increased the general terror. 1t
was told me by my reverend grandmother
and | do not doubt the fact in the least, as
it has been confirmed by many other aged
and venerable stondbys of the town, both
male and female, thar the minister of the
parish, surrounded by his trembling family,
fell on his knees in an agony of prayer,
and that by a simultaneous movement,
great proportion of the inhabitants resorted
to the same expedient for succor. But
soon there was a rush from every house,
the tumut in the air still increasing. Old
and Young, male and female, poured forth
into the stretS, I'm patriS naturnt'6us, en-
tireIv forgetful, in their hurry and conster-
lion. of neither labiliments, and with eyes
upturned, trie to pierce the almost palpa-
bie darkness. NV venerable informant,
who well recolects the event, says, that
some daring spirits, concluding there was
noihing supernatural in the huhbub and up
roar overhead, but that rather they heard
wells of Indians commencing a midnight
attack, loaded their guns and sailed forth
to meet the invading foes. These ralient
heroes, on ascending the hill that bounds
the village on the east, perceived that the
sounds came from that quarter, and not
from the skies, as at first believed; but
;heir courage would not permit them TO
proceed to the daring extremity Of advanc-
ing eastward. until they should discover the
real cause of alarm and distress which per-
vaded the whole village.
Towards morning the sounds in the air
seemed 10 die away. and th- horror-stricken
Windhamites, discovering that no Indians
make an attack, and that for that time they
had escaped from being called to their ac-
count, Ga general impression prevailed for
a time amorg the females and the more
timid of male population, that the day OF
judgement was at handy retired 10 rest,
but not until the two robust Colonels had
planted sentinels in every place where
there was the least danger OF an attack
from the Indians.
"In the morning, the whole cause OF
alarm. which produced such distressing ap-
prehenSions among the good people OF the
town, was apparent TO all who took the
trouble to 20 to a certain mill pond, situated
about three-forths of mile eastward of the
village. This pond hereafter in the an
mails of fdme forever to TO be called the
| FROG P0ND-in consequence OF a Sc
we're drought which had prevailed for many
weeks. had become nearly dry, and the
Bull Frogs it was densely populated with,
fought pitched battle on the sides OF The
ditch which ran through it, for the poses
sion aud enjoyment of the fluid which re-
mained.-Lung and obstinate was The con
test maintained. Several thousand of the
worrior hosts we're found dead on both side:
of the ditch the next morning. 1t had beer
remarkably still for many hours befroe the
battl.. commenced, but suddenly, as II by {
pre-concerted agreement, every frog or
one side of the ditch raised the war cry
/ Col. DYER! Col. DYER and at the S1nr'
instant, from the opposite side shouted th'
adversaries. ELpERKrN Tool EIDERKIN
Tooi
Owing to some peculiar state OF atmos
nhere. the awful noise and cries apperet
t, be directly over their heads /; and consid
erinq all the circumstances, 1t IS not at al
surprising that many lud crous, and evei
distressing events, should have occurred OF
that eventtul night, among the atfrighte'
Inhabitants Of the city Of BULL FkOGS.
j SrRAw LIGHrSING CoNDUcToRs.-ll
The, wear 1926. Lapo,tele OF Ami-ns, mad
.or,a ex,er;ro-nts on the value of straw a