Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1880-10-27

The centennial anniversary Of the burn
ing of Rnyalton by the Indians, was
celebrated by interesting ceremonies at
South ROyalton Saturday. An address
was delivered by Hon. ID. G. Denison.
There was a shHm fight between a CON-
pany of men and bows dressed like
Indians and The citizens in defense OF the
town. A few buildings, erected for the
purpose, were burned, TO give realistic
turn to the affair. The event was worthy
of commemoratiOn, both because oil It's
magnitude, and because the burning oil
Royalton was the only serious raid made
by tile British and Indians upon tho north
ern frontier of Vermont during the revo-
lutionary war. The object OF this raid
was to capture Lieutenant Whltcomb, an
American officer, who, while out with a
scouting party on the Sorel river, had
MORALLY wounded General Gordon
British officer, as he was riding between
Chambly and St. Johns, and had taken
from him his watch and sword. Expect
ing to find Lieutenant Whitcomb at
Newbury, an expedition was planned
against that town, and in the beginning
of October, party of two hundred and
ten men, all but seven of them Indians,
started on their mission of plumber and
revenge. under the command OF Horton,
a British lieutenant, and one LeMott,
his assistant. Their guide was man
named Hamilton, who had been made a
prisoner by the Americans at the surren-
der of Burgoyne in l777, and had been at
RoyaIton and Newbury on parole OF
honor during the preceding summer.
The raidng party came in batteaux 10 the
6 ~ n;anAgEi riuar and xUhIlti
: marching up the river met two men
engaged in hunting, near the place where
Montpelier now stands, who told them
that Newbury had been REINFORCED. This
information had the effect to divert them
: from the point intended, and to turn their
attention towards Royalton, settlement
of ten years, situated in the valley OF
White river, the natural thoroughfare,
well known to the Indians, between Lake
, Champlain and the Connecticut river.
They spent Sunday quietly among some
hills back of South Iunbridge. on lands
making IL part of the farm Of Mr.. John
D Hutchinson. Early Monday morning Mr.
4 Hutchinson, called out of his cabin by
=, some unusual disturbance among his cat
tie, fell into the hands of the Indians, the
first victim. His cabin was sacked ano
e feather beds ripped open and their con
r tents thrown to the winds in wanton sport
and the furniture was broken up. Mrs
VIM. Bliss, of Royalton, whose mother
= was then an infant daughter of Mrs
Hutchinson still has the fragments OF Al
4 old table Just AS it was left. This witt
other relics was on exhibition at the
= celebration Saturday. Mr.. Hutchinson
y was carried off to Canada where he wa
= kept in captivity until after the wal
e closed. His wife mounted a horse tina
:. escaped in the Jungle, and with her baby
took the trail 10 the Connecticut. Tit
y Indians proceeded down the first branch
n to where it enters White river, near thu
. present village of South Royalton, killing
= and destroying. One party was sent vi
" the river and one down industriousll
0 wiping out the destructible fruits o
S zen years labor. About a mile abov,
}. the present village of Royaltou was I
farm well known to the Indians. There
- was ON it large Indian clearing, wher'
> they planted corn in their spring migra
= lions to the Connecticut to be used Oh
@ their return in the fall On this farm thu
well known Durkee family lived, and TIVE
of the boys were taken by the Indian:
rom corn barn, in process of building
i One of them died in captivity. That rud
old barn indestructibe by the fire Sc
10 it because Of the green timber, sti
stands there with the fire marks on |,
u Prisoners were taken by both parties, bu
J no disposition to kill was manifested whe
), prisoners yielded submissively.
q There are some personal incidents G
of this raid, with some traditional roman
Licism connected with them, which ough
not to be lost, but which cannot be con
d venientlv narrated now. The family {
- Mr.. Daniel Rix had Just come into To
settlement from Connecticut. Mr.. Ri
: had returned to Connecticut on business
and his wife, with five or six children
4 warned by the valiant Gen. Elias Stevens
y AS he flew along, telling the people thu
J Indians, "hell hounds as he called then
j. were coming. Mrs, Rix caught an OF
d horse, improvised IA bride FROM skein {
yarn, managed to get all the children O
the horse but one, Garner boy IL yeal
# old, and started with the Indians in flu
# cry behind Garner was picked up b
, the Indians, and 10, five years old, sliPpe
II off the horse and was gathered in wit
n other captives. The father of Williar
" Rix ESQ, now living in Royalton, WI
b one of these children, an infant two veal
old. But the most glorious of all inc
dents of that day, interesting rs bistor,
Is and Homeric as an episode after The tigt
" is the story of Mrs. Hendee. After tn
=" days work was over, and the Indian
t. were gathering in the clans, not far froi
d where Mr.. Martin Skinner now lives, fc
d Il night march with their plumber IN
I prisoners. that heroic woman waded IL
river, went confidently into their mids
demanded her own child and finally su,
ID eeeded in rescung nine children undo
10 five years of age. Among them was lit
10 Rix, who lately died in Michigan
o the age of ninety-sx years, Garner Ri
,r was ransomed by French lady in MOI
l. treal, treated as her son and sent home b
"a her when the war was over. He had nc
been heard from since he was taken CAP
" tive till he appeared in his fathers cabi
A. one Sunday morning a year after Z
died in Royalton at the age of eighty five
q Many other incidents might be told illu
e. trative of that terrible blow upon til
sr settlement of Royalton, but these W
vi recall with more interest rs they pertai
=, to the family of some of our most strons
p y attached and highly esteemed persona
oil friends.
tie Hall, in his history of eastern Vernon
Il. says, Upon review of the day, it W.
found that the Indians had bnrned on
1t house in Tunbridge, Two houses in Sharon
III twenty one in Royalton, several in RAJ
h. dolph and sixteen new barns variousl
- located which were filled with hay an
~ grain; that they had slaughtered abol
10 one hundred and fifty head of neat Gait
r and all The sheep and swine they cou
h. find, and had destroyed all the househol
~ furniture which they could not take vii
~ them" Leaving Royaton, the Indiar
SD went over the hills to Randolph and Ell
H. camped on the land, near the late res
silence of Ziba Sprague, where the
were overtaken by Col. House who IT
81 treated without striking Il blow IN
10 probtbly acted wisely in so doing. Tt
e. Indians threatened TO kill the prisoner
We and to show they meant it sent in tn
&c head of one Phineas Parkhurst. youn
s. man while escaping on horseback W,
a. shot across the river, the ball passin
l. through his body forming a little cuI q
e sac of skin on the other side in which /
o- held it till he reached Lebanon, where