Middletown transcript., 1868-09-19

| the sub oceanic cable-the perfect and
complete capacity, not only for self-go
ernment, but for the government over five
millions of Anglo-Saxons, lodged in three
millions of African slaves, and the settle
ment and christening Of that onward-mov-
ing, cver-thriving, always bustling, wide
awake community and corporation dwell
ling on the line of the Delaware Rail
Road, thirty miles, more or less, south
from the city of Wilmington, and rejoicing
in the modest yet euphonious name of
Middlctown.
Three miles to the east by south, repo-
ses in otiam Gum dignitnte," the quiet
but beautiful village of Odessa, once the
great grain depot for vast extent of
country, and the scene of unusual COM
mercial activity, but now the resort of
gentlemen and families of means desiring
quiet and seclusion
The time was when the country for
many miles around, and even in some of
the counties of the g Eastern Shore" car
ried on all its trade of export and import
through the town of Odessa, then Can't
wells Bridge. But in no section of our
land has that great pioneer of progress and
I'LL pTDNclnCul, tHe - Iron IluTSc, wrought
geater changes than has the Delaware Rail
Road accomplished for the peninsula lying
between the Delaware and Chesapeake
waters. have neither the time nor space
to notice further this mighty revolution,
nor do | write in any invidious spirit of
rivalry, criticism or disparagement, but
would lay it down as an economical maxim
for all communities to observe in the tu-
ture-Ncvcr reject the friendly overtures
of Il manitestly coming Rail Road.
But Middletown has history. That of
her venerable sister, Odessa, was given to
the world gears ago and the writer of
these pages well remembers an incident
which occurred about that period, inspir-
ing him to wander back to, and grope
through the twilight of colonial history
in search of the annals here recorded. 4
gentleman of prominence and intelligence
of the name of Mcl<im or Mickey, then
living in or near the townsL;n Of ,-rp5- .;;i55
, quinimink, assured the writer that the
original and Indian name of Cantwclp 5
, Bridge was the same as that Of the river
E and township which borders it, APP
poquinimink y that on hunting or pis-
catory excursion, or, it may have been
some other expedition, of some of his
neighbors, there was fshed up from the
E bottom of the river, near the town, re-
markable stone most curiously wrought
and sculptured, and fully corroboratiye OF
the published researches and discoveries Of
the historian of Odessa. The English
translation Of the name, " Appoqumi-
- mink" had long been known to some OF
+ the residents to be GO Crippled Duck" and
> as the Aboriginees never gave names to
localities or objects without great signif-
cance of meaning, not only was the writ
: ten history completely yindicated and set
tied, but the characters upon the stor,
y were interpreted a4d rei+d with distin-
= gushed accuracy. Through the politeness
q and kindness of the gentleman above
nan ell, the writer once saw this remarka
- bic raeous o u ncnt of Indian art. IL
the best of his recollection, it was about
Il fifteen inches in length, six or seven il
# width and three or four in thickness, ir
Il regularly paralellogram in shape and por
= phyrltic; in appearance and composition
Il Evidently it had lain in its watery bed fo
: centuries, and the edges and upper side
q and the characters thereon sculptured wcr,
Q worn smooth as glass by the attrition o
! the current, whilst the side next to th
ground was corrugated, The artist hat
> carved a canoe, in the stern of which wa
n seated an old Indian Brave in the act o
Y padding. In the bow was aeited an In
- y dian maid his daughter, engaged in tn
l. humane Offices of setting and bandagipi
; the broken wing of wounded teal. Abov
At the head of the former and the shoulder
10 of the latter, were sculptured their names
70 's Mooskinska," and "0meta" and be
" meath the vessel, in pure Mapahoac, tn
e, word" Appoquinimink." 1t was til
ID design of Mr.. Mickey to present this rar
ID specimen of aboriginal art to the Histori
A. cal Society of Delaware, with an elaborat
1 paper from the pen of distinguished lo
le cal historian in the city of Wilmington,
Ne The writer of these pages, confessing
It. weakness for historic lore, impelled by tha
We principle referred to at the commencement
of of this article, and stimulated by the rt
of suits achieved at Cantwel's Bridge, hi
ed carefully and patiently pushed his invest
in cations up to the very moment the partu
H. rient paroxysms ushered into being tn
n municipal infant -Middletown.
- From the most authentic authorities
,al appears that, prior to the settlement of Il
IT. island Wokoken, in 1884, the whole of tt
he peninsula now comprising the State
lal Delaware, the Eastern Shore counties
h, Maryland and Virginia, and a narro
in strip of the bordering State of Pennsylvi
ks mia, was inhabited by six independel
en- tribes of Indians, united in kind of fet
ng eral compact for security against their wa
n like and formidable neig ghbors to the Mort
lie, and East-the Delawares and Lenna l.
raj nape This peninsular territory, so bea,
he tiful, so luxuriant in vegetable production
he and so abounding in game, fish and shel
ire fish, and covered by the most magnifce
be forests, had long been coveted by the fer
~, and powerful Iroquois or Five Natio