The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1877-04-20
The Merrymount May-POle.

| 1t was in 1897 that Morton fairly be-
came master of the wild spirits around
him. He had given the neighboring col.
ony of Boston Bay many occasions for
pious indignation before, but on the LIST
of May in this year, he did what no true
Puritan could contemplate with feelings
other than those of holy horror. Thomas
Morton actually had the audacity, to-
gether with his band of chosen followers,
to erect May-pole. 1t was pine tree,
eighty feet in height, which had been cut
down in its prime, shorn of its native
garments, decked with fine ribbons, and
amidst the salute of firearms, the roll of
drums, and the chorus of hilarious
voices, dragged to the mounts summit,
and there planted according to good old
English precedents.
Our Puritan ancestors were a sturdy,
independent, strong-headed race, but they
were not attractive, and between them
and us two and half centuries is none
too much. To them Morton's conduct
was scandalous in the extreme. Brad
ford, speaking of this particular occa-
sion, remarks that Morton and his COM
panions also set up May-pole, and in
vited the Indian squaws to come. There
they were picking and licking together,
and acting like so many fairies-or
furies. Merrymount's nearest neighbors
the colonists of Boston Bay-momen-
tarily expected shower of birthstone to
descend and consume the actors in so
impious a performance, while the distant
folks of Plymouth wondered how the
Lord permitted such blasphemy at all.
Altogether, the settlement at Merry
mount under Morton's craftsmanship
lasted about five years. Had Morton's
ambition been confined to living an easy,
joyous, devil-may-care sort of life, he
would in all probability have died there
in peaceful bed But he had keen
eye for the main chance. He traded
with the neighboring Indians extensively,
and what they wanted most was fire.
arms and fire-water. King James for
babe the sale of the former to them.
They were eager to possess them, were
most liberal in their offers of furs and
peltries to Morton and the jewellers of
MerrymOunt, who could not resist the
tempting opportunity, and, in the Ian
guage Of Bradford, the ''pious" inhabit-
ants of Massachusetts "got mad"
And no wonder! The Indian hunter
was found in the woods everywhere, gun
in hand. As yet he searched only for
game, but who could tell how soon he
would descend upon the European set
Elements and wreak his vengeance upon
thema But Morton was more powerful,
even without the aid of his Indian allies,
than all the colonies on Boston Bay. So
reasons of prudence dictated caution to
the Puritan wrath. An appeal was made
by the Boston colony to that of Ply
mouth. There was some hesitation, but
finally they decided to interfere. Nego-
tiations were begun with Morton. They
called his attention to the kings procla-
nation. He replied that King James
was dead, and his proclamation had died
with him.
Plymouth did not like to proceed to
extremities, but its influence was at
stake, and Capt. Miles Standish, with a
small force, was sent to capture Morton.
He was found away from his home, and
secured. He was taken to cabin, where
he was placed in room; one Of his cap
tors going so far as to lie in the same
bed with him as precautionary meas
ure. Standish, it seems, like other peo-
pie when away from home, did not live
quite up to the standard of Plymouth
morals, and, as a consequence, Morton
succeeded in giving him the slip. When
his absence was discovered they cried:
"He's gone! he's gonel What shall we
dol" And then, as Morton says, they
hunted about in the dark, knocking their
heads against each other like so many
rams; indeed, they felt SO bad that they
would have torn their own hair if it had
not been cropped too short. Morton was
not far from his house, and he got therein
safely. There was considerable jubila-
ton at his return, and when Standish,
with an available force of men, appeared
and demanded the surrender of himself
and garrison there was but one able
bodied man to assist him in his defense
and that man was bsastly drunk. He
himself was none too sober, for his gun
was afterward found loaded halfway to
the muzzle. The struggle was short and
decisive. Morton was again prisoner.
He was sent to England to answer for
his offenses, but escaped all punishment,
returning again shortly after, to the
great disgust of the Puritans. Severe
measures were however taken against his
followers. The May-pole was cut down
and Merrymount was rechristened "Mount
Dagan." He could not keep quiet, how
ever. Charges were soon made against
him both by Indians and English. The
General Court condemned him to "be
set in the pillory, his ears nailed thereto;
to give satisfaction to the Indians for
stealing canoe; his house to be burned