Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1874-06-17

THE GEM OF THE BERKSHIRE HILLS.

THE GEM OF THE BERKSHIRE HILLS.
There is sense in which, of course
every town has a history; but there ar,
comparatively few towns, even i'm on
most historic cOmmonwealths, who's,
origin stands SO directly connected will
great movements of mind, and far
reaching plans of men, in both hemis
pheres, as that of the unpretendins
town of Williamstown, In Berkshir,
county, Massachusetts.
In the museum of BOwdoin College
Maine, there may be seen a curious reli,
in the shape of bell half imbedded il
the stock of tree. This bell belonged
to a Jesuit chapel, built at NOrridge
wOck, on the kennebec, by Fathel
Rale, who was there as French Mis-
siOnary to the Indians certainly as earl,
as 1695, and whose chapel was pillaget
and burnt in 1124 by party of English
under the belief that French and In.
dian hOstilities against the New Eng.
landers were stimulated and aided by
this Jesuit priest. He himself wa.
killed ut the same time, several chief,
who endeavored to protect him sharing
his fate; and his body was disgracefully
mutilated by those who had shot him
but was afterwards tenderly buried by
the Indians beneath the spot where he
used to stand before the altar. The
bell of the chapel in some way fell into
the embrace of a growing tree, which
preserved it till, in our own time, the
wOOdmen found it at their work, and
sent it where it will be preserved till
the end of time.
Tho Iaofh of fJ,iS last r,tI,ol;. mis-
sionary in New England, and the con-
seqnent abandonment of Indian mis-
sions, had been preceded and was fol-
lowed bya large emigration of the
Indians, who had been under French
influence, to Canada. They left their
hunting grounds on the kenebec, the
Androscoggin and the Connecticut,a and
sought new homes in the North and
West; but the remembrance of their
former seats still remained; they were
full of Indignation against those whom
they regarded as intruders; and it
needed only a war between France and
England To furnish them Justification
ana employment III predatory eXcur-
S,ohS oi 'heiI own iSaiiist tie iIoh'ier
Engiish settlements. or III acting as
guiues' through region WIN WIicii
anu more distant iiiuiiilS' Such war
WAS ueci;ired Ill l'4f.
No soonerwas thisdeclaration known
i'm the New World than the frontier
settlements of Massachusetts were ex-
posed 10 incursions from Canada nv
hostile French and Indians. Their
favorite mathis from the ST. Lawrence
were either by Lake Champlain. nm
Wood and OTTER creeks. across the
highlands of Vermont down Wells and
White rivers to tbe Connecticut. or by
Lake Georoe across the carving place
to the beodwaters of the Hudson and
thence mn the Uoosac and across the
watershed now nierced nv the Hoosac
Tunnel (aImost directly over which
rms the old Indian patbl to the Deer
field RIVER. Towards the settlements
these routes conyerDed. and the epress
of thc war-narties was nretty sure to
be somewhere between Brattleboro' on
tbe Connecticut and the base of Saddle
Maintain. near the headwaters of the
Uoosoc
L. n - ,;.h po,o os
IN III 'ar i's @ yai !" tI" $3.50 - i, ,ho
snTi' anu ~, " i. .o.el .n tG"' f, IL Il, W
,'t's pi liio nm; T,. u. n' I'm .n'
t ,achs ol e,ie ilii,iis, ,h oit f Dun,si hn @ nu
p pee,l eitetei Oh ne sl.e y, ~. ia. st y ,oM
i;ii' ..To' .'i. IL i;',,;ts ,f IL,
ilsli - se.'is,ieha Win % .ne Nun, nn ~, oi ,
pleseht ,ta'J vi eiiioh n ht,,, .,u ms
France and Fn"Iand, the nrovincial
Government of Massachusetts author
fzed the construction of a line of small
forts from Fort Dummer In the valley
of tbe Uoosac at the foot of Saddle
Mountain. These works were i'm what
are now the towns of Rernardston.
Heath Rowe Coleraine. and North
Adams. and were ali built i'm the sum
mer of IA under the superintendence
of Enhraim Williams. after whom both
Williamstown and Williams College
are named. He commanded also, with
the ranl, of captain. This line of de-
fenses. having his bead0uarters at Fort
Massachusetts. the westernmost and
princinaI of his works. Again and
again was this fort attacked by the
French and Indians: and in August,
1146. while CAPTAIN Williams was alb
sent on n military expedition to Canada,
II WAS cnntured after an obstinate de-
fence Inv !, Marty of EIGHT hundred men.
and the garrison carried prisoners To
Canada. inst two wears after. il was
attacked AGAIN Inv three hundred and
thirty French and Indians. CaDtalu
Williams being present. but this time
the assailants were driven off with
loss.
TI0o,.f A. l., Cb,nal,a Lrouabt
bact his nrisoners from canada and
p,ye Canaan Williams leisure to at
fend To tbe wants of his eompanions in
arms and Tn the Interests of the Inner
WooSac At his instance tbe General
Court of WassachnSetts annointed, in
1-i0 a COMMITTEE ..to Sprvev and Law
ont TWO townsb;ns on Uoosac River.
each of ,he contents of six miles somare
in the hest of the land and in as repr-
iar n fa,.n, aS n,ay ha ;o;n;ng them 70
%ether % and ratnrn a c4rrect 6Iat of sa;d
? - aiso to rat1rn the course
and ,I;Stpnca of said tnwns from Fort
WassacbnSettS The neyt vear the west
now Wili;am stown was iaiJ
ont in anta;I Inv anotber comm;ttae
Who We're Directed Ito grant as many
IntS as thev shoulJ think nroner to the
SolI;ers of the oarr;son of Fprt Nassae
cbnSetts Williams himself received
a .,rant Of one hundred and ninety acres