Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1869-04-30
The Story of Matte Kilburn and
Her Father.

On the outside will be found a very
pretty but pathetic story of /" Poor Mat
tie Kilburn," which we find anonymous
ly floating in the papers. The author,
whoever he may be, has doubtless drawn
on his imagination somewhat for his pa
thos, at least we trust it was so, hoping
that no such terrible disaster as starving
to death in a hollow tree happened to
any little Matte Kilburn who ever lived
in Walpole or elsewhere The name of
"Mt. Kilburn" was given to "Fall
Mountain ;" Sept, 80, 1856, by the class
of 1857 of Amherst College, who made
the excursion to this place for that pur-
pose, the same class from Middlebury
College being present also, by invitation
from the Amherst class The exercises
on the Mountain during the day and at
the Island House in the evening, were
reported by us at the time and appeared
in full in this paper. The name was Civ
en- in honor of Col. Kilburn, who so he
roically defended fort against the In
dams, hundred years ago, on the south
end Of the Mountain, and who was the
| first settler in Walpole, N. H., in the
year 1749. He was not killed in that
battle as the story above referred to has
it, but lived highly esteemed in that
town for his virtues, and died in peace.
As this place is just opposite where the
battle was fought, and as many of the
present residents of this village have
come here since the account of christen-
ing the Mountain was published, we give
below an extract from the speech of the
late Prof. Hitchcock at the Island House,
in the evening of the occasion above
mentioned
He thought the mountain had been
appropriately named He was much
| pleased with the speeches on the noun
tain, but he recollected one instance in
| relation to Col. Kilburn which he be-
lieved was not mentioned, and which he
would relate. Col. Kilburn and three
men we're returning from saw-mill,
each with sack of meal ON his back,
when a peculiar growl from faithful
dog indicated the certain presence of In
dams. Kilburn with great sagacity
commanded the men to drop their sacks,
spring up and give war whoop and
then drop in the grass, which they did
and were Immediately fred upon by 400
Indians. They then took refuge in log
house, where they heroically defended
themselves, but bullets failed And
now, Prof Fl. said, he was going to tell
what Mrs. Kilburn did, for he liked to
do honor to the ladies' Laughter and
applause. Mrs. Kilburn hung up
wooden blanket before the window, and
caught the balls from the enemy, and as
they fattened against the blanket,
through which they would not pass, and
as they fell, Mrs. Kilburn would take
them to another part of the house, and
there re-cast them and hand them over
to the men to be used against the In
dams from whom they had first been re-
ceived. [Applause.l Prof. H. gave
another instance of Kilburn's heroism.
Some of the Indians who could articu-
late a little English, stole up near enough
to the fort to cry out to Kilburn-" old
Joe, little Joe, (meaning Kilburn and
his SOM come out here-give you quar-
ter" to which the intrepid Kilburn bold
ly and loudly roared out-"get out of
the way you black rascals, or we'll quar-
ter you" Laughter and prolonged
applause Immediately a volley of
bullets riddled the whole house, but Kill
burn was unframed.
Prof FL. hardly thought the history of
the world furnished parallel to the
courage and heroism of Col. Kilburn in
defending his fort. 1t was certainly be-
yond that of Leonadas. The Indians
were driven away and did not dare to
| return"