New-York tribune., 1872-07-06
NARRAGANSETT TRADITIONS.

THE LAST OF THE NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. KIDD
AND HIS MERRY MEN-GILBERT STUART, THE
PAINTER-HOW CARTER MURDERED JACK
SON.
NARRAGANsETT, June 23.-l have been walk
ing over the hills and through the beautiful valleys OF
the where two centuries ana haI ago
the red men belonging the tribe whose nano alone IS
left TO tell OF their existence the manor lords
have found the place OF and tradition, and
the inevitable and essentially requisite ghost story Is
not wanting. have stood upon the spot where the
great swamp fight" OF 1875 took place, which was
fatal battle for the Narragansetts Canonche the last
chief OF brave nation, whose father was Mantonom-
after whom Mr. Gideon Wees named a mOnitor-beng
taken by the whites and condemned TO death, exhibited
grandeur OF character which induced chronlcler OF
contemporary times say that some old Roman ghOst
possessed the body Of this Western pagan Ike an AT
titus Reguus" al like it WELL" said Canonehet, when
told of the sentence "that shall die before my heart
grows SOFT and have said anything unworthy OF my
self"
Ihaye stood upon ground which has been pressed by
the feet Of the pirate Kidd who familiar OF this
neigborhOod his places Of resort are still shown ana
numerous holes In the ground OF Wilson's Woods ana
elsewhere dug by credulous searchers after his hidden
treasures are still visible few years ago sword
bt was dug up in field near the "pier" which was
engraved the name Of Artemas Gould, who was one OF
Kidds heutenants Twentyelght Of his crew were hung
ON one galows at Newport-a three-cornered galows-
and two Of the carpenters who had helped TO build the
gaows afterward hung for numbering their wives
Kidds men were buried below hgh-water mark on the
the beach at Goat Island and within the memory of the
older inhabitants here Of the cofns were cast up
by the action Of the sea, and the skeletons exposed
Newport was great resort for pirates and slave
traders and IL was to their awess ceftans that the
famous ballad Of Captain Kidd-s strange compound Of
doggerel and wild, rugged pathos-was addressed
Oye captains brave and bold hear cries. hear our cries,
Je CAPTAINS brave bold though ye all uncontrolled,
Do not the sake Of gok lose souls lose souls
Ny name Robert Kidd, when sailed, when sailed,
And 80 wckedly did when sailed
And further on
rda Bible in nv hand when sailed when sailed,
I'd Bible in my hand By ny fathers great command.
And sunk 1t in the sand, when 1 sAiled.
Il quote from memory, and am not probably perfectly
correctly Then I've the spot where born Gen.
Nathaniel Greene, OF Revolutionary memory. 1t Is
about four miles away; and within the distance
was born Gilbert Stuart whose great painting of Wash
ington is historic. Now, 1t after this that
Gilbert Stuart to be born in Narragansett About
l25 years ago. O gentleman came hither from Scotland
by name Moffatt, and by profession physician. DR..
Mofatt, however, could not make his way among the
plain Quakers who at that time. constituted the larger
portion of the inhabitants He learned, but not
popular. &c. tobacco being product here, Dr. Moatt
took to its cultivation and bethought him to build
snuff.mll; but he could find here competent to
construct the building He therefore, wrote to Scotland
and procured the services OF a millwrght, by name
Gilbert Stuart who built the mill according TO his de-
sires-the first in NewEngland. Gilbert married
Miss Elizabeth Anthony, the daughter OF @ wellto-do
farmer and Of this marriage came Gilbert Charles
Stuart the painter, chrisened but who, however In
after life subscribed himself Gilbert Stuart omtting
his middle name. The house in which he was born still
stands
Near the summit OF Tower Hi q mile from the pier
stands little building in which George Fox the founder
OF the sect OF Friends Quakers," has more than
once preached. IL is upon tho old postroad between
Boston and Philadelphia. Formerly this was the chief
highway between New-England aud the South, over
which .eru vas once vast deal OF trayel and 1t Is not
very startling perhaps observe that this road has been
trayersed by Washington and Franklin. And there
tombstones In the old buryDggroun near by, which
have stood the assaults OF time for two centuries and
MORE And mile or distant from the building and
buralpace just mentioned, is stone set in one Of the
fences-neary all the fences IN this part Naagansett
are built OF "niggerhead stones"whch bear, in rude
figures tho date l7il. Now this date commentaries
murder OF curious character, committed at that
spot III that year, that give you the story twas
told me-"
About i7t0 Carter captain OF vessel In the coast
ing trade that sailed out OF Newport He
dreadful storm of tho coast of South Carolina and his
vessel wrecked. But Carter and his escaped
with their lives and Carter himself started foot for
his home in Newport After day or two he
taken by Jackson-a North Carolinian-wlo
horseback with bundle of furs strapped the horn OF
his saddle bound for Newport Rhode Island. to make
sale OF his furs Think OF IL 100 300 miles horse
back 10 seusao ortaoo worth Of furs What journey