The New York herald., 1875-09-18

Zion TO the New England colonies was known as Phps
wal"
The peaceful death OF Massasot at good old age after
long line Of friendly relations with the Plymouth and
Massachusetts Bay colonies the sadder death his
Alexander worried OF life by the failure Of his
trgues against the colony, and the exposure OF his
meanness and his crimes the gradual development OF
the Of passions in the breast Of Philip, and his
passage from treachery TO war are all fresh in the
memory Of all who have traced the hard path which
fathers travelled In the work OF settling these shores
The war which began in Swanzey tho oath OF June,
1875 reached this spot the 18th Of September
three months Of murder and fire. and all the bloody hor
rors Of savage warfare
A PEACE
At the time when the broke out Deerneld had
been settled years had been decided for the pur-
poses of settlement to John Pynchon that length OF
time II was then. as II is now, of the most de-
lghtful spots in New England The very here told
of peace and And here in all the luxurance Of
that natural beauty and in the wealth OF wood and
stream, the Indian found his tavorite resort In this
town and in the towns OF Hadey and Hatfield he mus
tered numerous and powerful tribe And upon these
lands purchased by the settlers with titles confirmed
by the Court the whites and Indians lived together in
peace for years
THE wARcLoUD BREAKs
II is amazing with what rapdity the war once opened
spread from village 10 village and from tribe TO tribe
this wilderness The spirit of Philip was borne as if by
magnetic force throughout the length and breadth or
the land; his warriors and messengers of death
traversed these soudes with a speed equal TO that
magic power which bears now from the waters OF
No sooner had Swanzey been destroyed and Taunton
been attacked, and Nddleboro and Dartmouth
been burned and the whole colony Of Plymouth
filed with alarm, than Brookheld was lain in
ruins, and Deerheld was scene of slaughter The
Pocumtucks had received their orders and In day had
stepped from the blessing OF peace to the misery Of
war. Having promised to deliver up their arms on
suspicion that they might misuse them, they broke
their promise, fed 10 Sugaroaf HILL engaged with Cap
tans Beers and Lothrop commanding the English here
lost wentysx Of their number and then sought shell
ter under the standard of King Philip The war was
now transferred Tor season to this valley Captain
Beers Of Watertown; Captain Lothrop, of Ips-
wich; Captain Moseley, of Boston; and Major Treat
of Milford, had repaired thither with their forces to
protect the settlements. ''Hadey designated
military post and place of deposit for supplies, 4" and
the lst of September IL exposed to sudden and
bloody attack Here 1t was that devoted little band
of worshppers driven from their simple place Of
worship and took their stand 10 defend their homes
with such bravery and delberation that the historian
has felt compelled to attribute their TO the
spring influence Of a mysterious stranger who found
his retreat here after the bloody days of Charles and
the Commonwealth.
the MYSTERIOUS OLD MAN
AS If those hardy men were not each hero and an
inspiration to himself the enthusiastic chroncer has
dragged Goe, the regicde from retirement and placed
him IN command of a force, every man of which was
commander for himself l willing that they who
doubt the ability of the American pioneers TO defend
themselves out of their brave hearts should accept
the tradition and believe the romantic tale told by
Scott in Peveril Of the Peak and by Hutchinson in
his t'Hstory Of Massachusetts, y For myself however
l do not feel compelled TO attribute the
full defence of Hadley on that trying day to
of the Connecticut River, but found in ''anecdote
handed down by Governor Leverettn and accepted by
his friends, The beauty Of the tradition admire; but
ready to believe that the OF Hadley preserved
and defended their own hearthstones
THE BLOODY WORK BEGAN.
And now during autumnal month the valley OF
the Connecticut from Springfield to Northeld became
theatre of the most savage warfare. The month Of
September 1675-2oo years ago-was long remembered
as the month of horrors The work of the harvest
almost entirely suspended; the only reaper busy
there ''the great reaper, Death" Early
Northdeid were wayaid and shot. Captain Beers,
with thrtysix men, gong to the relief OF the remain
ing occupants Of the block house there was attacked
and killed with twenty of his Major Treat having
been sent with 100 to the relief of Northheld in
which Beers had failed, succeeded only after the most
perllous adventures Northfeld abandoned Deer
field was then attacked the inhabitants fred on
as they public worship and their houses
burned. Deerheld, too, was abandoned; and the at
tempt TO secure a quantity of wheat which had just
been partially threshcd by the farmers there be-
fore their flight resulted in the massacre which
still thrills with horror, and the anniversary Of
which We have met to commemorate, The troops de-
tailed TO complete the threshing OF the grain were
ordered out from Hadley, their headquarters com
pany of picked men, under the command OF Captain
Lothrop Having succeeded IN threshing the grain and
loading it in their wagons, they proceeded on their re-
turn leaving Captain Mosely at Deeried to protect
them against sudden surprise from the enemy. They
had proceeded few miles their way and on the early
morning of the 18th of they reached the scene
of the disaster. 0verconddent in their strength
and skill they oitered beneath the tall trees, clad in
their first auumna foliage and separated to gather the
wild grapes hanging in luxurant clusters the little
stream which their wagons were f---spg.
''BEAUTY LURES TO DEATH"
relieved of the heats, laden with the fra
GRANGE of the rpened fruit and breathed an nyigorat
ing coolness through the sounding aises' of that
great cathedral Of woods. The men were betrayed by
the beauty Of the Their broken ranks gave the
savage his long sought opportunity Baed through the
watches of the night he rejoced IN the morning light
which scattered and exposed his victims In instant
the forest seemed abaze. From behind hundreds of
trees the avages poured their deadly fire At the first
voley many were killed and the remainder panic
stricken In their OF security they had laid down
their arms, which they could not regain; they had
broken their ranks which they could not reform
Lothrop, "a godly and courageous COMMANDER" was
among the hrst fall The savages, numbering nearly
700 rushed upon the defenceless men, and the work
of slaughter was soon complete. But SIX or seven
Engishmen escaped to tell the tale, Of whom one had
been shot and tomahawked and left for dead, and
other forced his way through the yelling ranks OF the
savages with the butt OF his musket
''Ihe cruel fate Of these unfortunate young men,"
saws Mr. Everett whose eloquent and touching oration
delivered this spot and this anniversary forty
years ago has connected his name with this sad event
OF history, as it is connected with so many Of the
stirring Of our national herosm by those sub
lime efforts with which he charmed and elevated his
counrymen for half century, the cruel fate Of these
unfortunate men did not remain long unayenged
While the Indians were employed IN mangng, scalping
and stripping the dying and the dead, Captain
Mosely who, as has been observed, was ranging the
woods hearing the report Of musketry, fastened by
forced march the relief Of his brethren The Indians,
conlding in their superior numbers taunted him as he
advanced and dared him to the contest MoSely came
with lrmness, repeatedly charged through them and
destroyed large number with the loss on his side or
but two killed and eleven wounded His
tinguished themselves this OCCASION He
was, however, greatly outnumbered, that though
he sustained the action from eleven O'Clock until even
ing he did not succeed driving the enemy from the
field. At this juncture Major Treat arrived with 100
soldiers and sixty Mohegan Indians and joining his
forces with Captain Moseley's, drove the enemy from
the field Of the hard fought and murderous action
They fed the brook about two miles, 10 the west
ward closely pursued by the American force and here
the action probably suspended by the night. A
quantity Of bones lately found in that quarter very
probably the remains Of the Indians who fell there at
the close OF the action.
BLOODY BROOK"
The stream whose banks they fell, and whose
red with their blood has been called from
that day, in memory OF the disaster, "Bloody Brook"
For a time the ceased in this valley, where the
destruction and desolaton complete OF the three
English captains placed IN command here by the pro-
vncia commissioners, Lothrop and Beers had fallen;
and or the towns planted here, Springfield, Hadley,
Northampton and Hatfield alone remained, and these
warstrckcn and despairing
THE END or KING PHILIPS WAR.
The war was transferred 70 another sphere.
Rhode Island furnished the battle ground the late