Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1877-09-27
The Last Of the Norrdgewocks
ny THE REV. THERON BROWN.

Br THE REV. THERON BROWN.
The subject OF this monograph is John
Sahattus, sometimes designated In local
Revolutionary histories as 'Arnold's guide
l have not exhaustively examined his claim
10 be called "the last OF the Sorridge-
wocks," claim which tradition has also
put forward for his brother Natanis, who
certainly shares with him the honor OF con-
ducting Arnold through the woods of Can
ada In the tall OF l775. That Sabattus is
called an dbendq1 la some lndar bistor-
les may only indicate that .hc Norridewocws
were = clan OF the great Abeuaqui nation
unless tradition 10 mistaken In calling him
"Sorridgewock" at all. Those who are
Interested In curious studies, and have the
leisure for them, can decide this question
TOR themselves. For the present will call
John Ssbattus by the title which seems to
have been habitnally applied 70 him IN the
neighborhood where he lived 10 old age,
where he died. Accordingly, in my sketch
st ''the last OF the Norridgewocks," pick
up the slender thread OF biography where
his name FIRST comes to light, thirty live
years after the almost total destruction of
| that once famous tribe by the English.
The attack and massacre OF the Nor
rldgewocks, and the burning OF their viii
lage on the kennebec, Ia reprisal for their
| deprcdations and murders, took place IN
August, 1874. Among the remnant OF the
tribe who took refuge In Canada, aud with
, the more inland Indians OF New England
| was, probably enough. the father Of our
John, Ssbattus The elder. Whether he
first fed 10 Canada or not. this Sabattus
seems to have been In Salisbury. n II. In
| 1888 where, in = difficulty with drunken
white man named Peter Bowen. he was
struck on the head with tomshawk and
Killed. Perhaps Il Was al this time that
his family removed 10 Lake ST Francis, In
Cansds. The fact that only the year be-
| fore ll132), General Stark. while on a hunt
ing excursion In northern New Hampshire
WAS taken prisoner and carried 10 Canada
by = party ofabenzquis, may suggu-t the
prcseBcc IN that region, 81 the time. OF tho
Sorridgewock remnaDt OF this once numcr-
ous people. Subsequently,. in the course
,o6,be war Of retaliation by the English
ssttlers upou The natives, as sjor Rogers
attacked aud destroyed the village OF the
81 Francis Indians belonging TO the dis
pcrsed Apdroscoggio tribe aud on his re-
! turn from that expedition in October 1853,
| he brooSht with him TWO captive Abena-
| qul "boys" one Of whom WAS Sabattus. aud
the other, We may suppose. was his broth
er Natsnis. Others Of the same tribal Kin
| drvd were doubtless Included in the con-
pany OF czptiycs. SsbAttus must have been
now eighteen or nineteen years of age.
Natanis was probably younger. Returning
10 the old forests where his ancestors
roamed, SAbattus was soon located. with a
household OF his own, amid the magnlh-
cent huntin. grounds OF the upper keune.
bee, known as the Dead River region. lie
was thriving Indian, and having little 10
\ with ~ fnr and fallipp
into neighborly relations with the colonis.
hunters and settlers. the inherited hatred
seems TO haye died out Of his heart aud he
came 10 be regarded as 3 friend Of the Eng
.ish. The same was true OF his brother,
who contnued 10 live near him. When
the Christian name John" began TO be ap.
piled TO him is uncertain, though, II We ac
ceIt the foregoing account OF his parent
aye. be may be said " have had Christian
antecedents after Q fashion. For twenty OF
thirty years prior to their slaughter a0d
dispersion in l72i, the Norridgewocks had
been taught religion and civilization by a
Jesuit priest. that fearless man Of almost
martyr memory. Father Sebastian Rasne.
SO far as appears, Sabattus was a true
man, and faithful TO those whom he be-
lievcd 10 be friendly aud true to him. That
he aud Natanis at nrst took sides with the
English on the breaking out OF hostilities
between the colonists and the mother-coun'
try may be 4 fact, and perhaps il Is nstur-
al that they should do so, the English then
holding possession OF Canada. But thai
they remained hostile 10 the Americans Qt
they were really so) 10 the autumn OF Cot
onsl Arnold's march to Quebec, and were
1t that time acting as tory spies. Is mol
proved. On the contrary, when Arnoid's
conviction TO that effect caused him TO send
men with orders to kill or capture them
instead OF waylaving and killing the scouts
Gas they could easily have done) and after
ward surprising the pioneer parties and be
traying the whole expedition. they merely
kept out OF the way. and, as soon a. they
could be sure OF their own safety, enlisted
In Arnoid's service.
Natanis lived solitary, his wigwam being
In pine opening not far below the head
waters OF Dead river; and Sabattus's home
WAS seven or eight miles up Sandy creek,
the northeast arm OF Dead river. Ii was
Ut the junction OF this with the main stream
that some OF Sabattu,'s handiwork unex'
pectedly proved OF great service to Arnold 4
men. Here the Dead and the Sandy APP
pear like two equal streams, and when the
second scouting party, seut forward TO re-
connOitre and report carryins-piaces. dan
gers. ETC.. came TO the place. they were en-
tirely at loss which way to go Opportune-
iy the, espied an upright stake. with roll
Of birch bark fastened in b slit 10 the top OF
1t. The roll was one OF Sabsttus's moose
maps. and on opening It they found II to
contain complete outline OF the river aud
oil the hunting paths to the Canada line.
He had lett 1t there probably for the direc-
ton of some OF his hunter friends. Tha,
he designed It for the very parties who
used It is too much TO suppose. A few
weeks afterwards, when the main body OF
the army were toiling over the same route,
broken, bsffied and retarded everywhere
by the fearful difficulties OF the way. till
tieJ seemed little better than independent
bands Of straggiers, . division OF Ao.gan's
| riae-men took the Ssndy-river branch by
mistake, and 10 their wanderings found
apd p,undered Z rude cache. belonging to
Ssbattus and his friends, which the unsus-
pecting savages bad made 10 tree, and
stored with corn and venis0n, evidently to
constitute Q supply. deposit for some future
deer chase. We are not informed whether
Ssbsssus OGered his services to Arnold as
Rside before or aftsr this occurrence.
Arnold had MontFesor's jOornal, and Sur
vsyor GOodw msp. besides abundant in
tdigence from his own scouts, who had al
50 marked Tor him all the portases and
most Of the "blind turne" and points Of
peril. but there 10 little evidence that for
aay consider able part Of the way through
tAe woods OF Maine be employed an Indian
aI,je, and that the guide Vas Sabattas.
He always pushed forward rapidly himself.
hating 1t convenient vOints only til the
rmy came up. or till he knew where they
we're. AZ he approached the Canadian
frontier the di6lcultias increased and be-
youd thas limit guide would be indispen.
! able. It rather enhances In our estims.