The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-11-25
Thrilling Chapter Of History
Indian Attack on York and Wells.

.|
From the forthcoming ''History of Wells |
and Kenpebunk," written by that eminent |
jurist and profound scholar, the late Judge |
@ourne, we are permitted to extract the ap.
Peeled interesting and soul-stirring account Of
t .ne ,ih'ian attack on the towns of York and I
"vTb Whi1a In 's ss year 1892: .a,oa IN
sor,a nre rar,s M 1nneasness had beep aaieteo IN
Soe ore affectu pae lhe Indians were psparing iof
a general destruction Of ali Ihe remaining set
Iiements; ndaaving now mustered force OF
700 OF their ewa number, and some French
men, tney, on ;aie fifth day of February, 1852.
OF that memorable day the enemy suddenly |
rushed upon the hlabitants, who were at rest |
in their beds, and a scene of horror ensued, |
unparalleied IN the History of the state. The |
merciless barbarism OF he Indian was well un- |
derstood by all, and helarge number of the |
assailantsiprecluded all hope Of escape. A hor-
rible death, or more Cue! captivity, awaited
terror to every heart; unprepaed for defense.
the people could do nething 10 saye themselves,
and the enemy drenched the pwn with the
blood of their victims; neither age nor sex es-
caped; all were subject to the common
doom.
Rev. Shubael Dummer, who married o
daughter Of Edward Rishworth. previously of
Wells, eminent for his social virtues and his
moral and mental culture, was shot down
while mounting his horse. His vile was
seized and carried into captivity, wherr, heart
broken in view of the awful masa.cre, the
murder of her husband, and the fripltful pros
pect before her, she soon yielded 70 the king OF
terrors. Those who had reached the garrisons
were saved. But seventy-iv of the inhabi-
tants were murdered, and eigaty.nVe taken
captive, With the exception OF the garrison
houses, the whole village was destroyed.
Many of those who wore carried away died IN
Under the new charter of William and Mary,
which took effect May 4, 1892, Phipps had been
appointed Governor. He felt more deeply the
necessity OF adopting thorough measures Of de-
fense. But as far as Wells was concerned, we
have been unable to discover any such atten-
ton to the pressing wants of the people as we
should expect. This awful carnage at York,
and the, destructio17of that village, was fresh
in the minds of the people. The Indians had
disappeared from that town as suddenly as
they had come upon it. No one knew where
they had gone. AT any hour the awful scene
might be reenacted at Wells. They remem.
from the contest of the previous year. They
knew the resolution of thejtribes ,nst;gated by
the French, to drive all the English into the
sea- No delay in the execution of their threats,
lessened the assurance that the evil day must
come. Government had furnished them with
but small military force, though they had
now heroic commander. AS to those in the
| garrison, the question was narrowed down to
| lI6 OF uetUu, anu lucy were ucrN6u up 10
| whatever work the occasion might require
| Terror did not disarm them, or lead them to
| seek personal safety in flight. They buckled
on their armor and resolved 10 stand fast at
| their posts.
| Capt. Convers had been assigned to Storcr's
garrison agreeably to the request of the people.
| But the whole soldierly under him consisted of
only fifteen men. This was all the reliable
force to which those shut up here could look.
| There were, indeed, many maguanmous and
L than S0mn
had fled there from scenes of carnage in the
| East, and were wrought up to q frenzy against
the relentless fends who were to come down
upon them. Though not drilled for military SER
vice, when life depended on the issue, they were
ready for any post.
Two sloops, under the command of Capt
Samuel Storer and James Gooch, had arrived
on the ninth Of june, laden with provisions
and ammuHition. They had also fourteen ad-
ditional men for the garrison On the same
day, the cattle came running from the pastur-
| age from fright. MadOckawando, very indis-
creetly had fired upon them. Thus notice was
given of the approach of the enemy. Capt.
Convers gave orders to all in the garrison and
in the sloops to be on their guard and made
every preparation for defense Spies had been
sent forward by the Indians, to make recon
noisance; and one John Diamond, passenger
in the vessel, attempting to escape to the fort,
was seized by them and dragged away by the
hair.
Soon the enemy, in force, numbering five
hundred, made their appearance. Whether
they emerged from the forests, or came up from
the East in the highway, history gives us no
account. They were under the command of
Portneuf and Labocree French Generals, aid
ed by other French officers and several Indian
chiefs. This mode of presenting themselves in
| face of an enemy, we think was not we'll suit
ed to Indian habits of war. We have abun-
| dant evidence that they were of a very coward
ly temperament They chose to carry on their
work by vile and stratagem, in small scouts,
-nt
balls, they would have fought better after their
| own fashion. With such force as they had,
the enemy were sure of success. 1t is said they
had examined Diamond, and obtained from
him all his knowledge of the condition of the
garrison and Of the vessels; and to encourage
the Indians, the officers had promised them all
| the pillage. Mather says, ":hey fell to.dividine
persons and ipunder. Such an English cap
tain should be slave to such an one; and such
gentleman should serve such an one; and his
wife be maid of honor to such or such a
squaw; and Mr. Wheelright, instead of being
worthy councillor as he. now is, was to be the
servant ofsuch Netop:' 'Gooch's vessel was
two miles up the river' says the same author
sand he wisely brought her down, undscerned,
to Storer's, by the advantage of west wind
then prevailing. A careful night they had on
it, One of the enemy's officers stepped out in
front and addressed the soldiers, calling upon
them fearlessly to enter upon their work, assur
ing them that victory would surely crown. theil
efforts, and that all should be theirs. 1t would
| gave been great prize to any OF them to Sc
cure John Wheelright. He. was the life anG
| strength of the town. These promises Inspired
them with a courage which they had probably
never manifested before.
/ Then with the Indian yell they assailed thu
garrison. But all their attempts to force an en-
trance were vain. The brave defenders put in
| to their work their utmost energies, Theil
| well-aimed guns made havoc in the ranks o.
| the enemy. Mather says, ''they kept calling t
surrender, which ours answered with laugh
| ter with a mortiferous bullet at the end of it. .
At the same time while portion engaged
| the garrison, the rest attacked the vessels
| These lay in narrow creek where they coul
| not be moved, and were so situated under
high bank that they could not be boarded
Mather says "Our slOops were sorely incom
moded by turn of the creek, where the enem
| could be so near as to throw mud aboard wit
their hands," Other accounts make their dis
tance from them sixty yards. They then bui
a breastwork of plank, hay and other article
near at hand, over which they fired, and on
Indian, with q courage unusual in the natives
took up a plank or slab and carried it befol
him as a shield, when q shot from one of til
sloops, says the author before quoted, ''wer
: through the slab and he fell down under i
with the slab for q tombstone" They succeet
ed two or three times in setting the vessels 0
fire; but the brave men were on the alert, an
with long poles and mop on the end readil
extinguished the fiames
These stratagems being Of no avail, the en-
my attempted another experiment. They bui
a breastwork and platform on wheels, on whiC