Middletown transcript., 1881-08-05

Susquehanna in his hands for safe
keeping, and advising them not to sell
their lands to Onas PENN, as he would
make bad use of them-that the nation
did as the Governor requested, who
Immediately went to England and there
sold the same himself to William Penn
and kept the price thereof and that
when Penn came to America to take
possession of the lands, and discovered
the wicked fraud, lie generously, a sec
ond time, paid to the nation the price
at which they were held. Hear ye
this, ye traducers of the truest and best
friend the Indian ever knew, and for
ever after hold your peace.
AT the period of this universal con-
quest by the Five Nations, from a point
on the Appoquinimink river, now
known as the Lower Granary," to
another point on the head waters OF
the Sassafras, there ran an Indian trail,
for communication between the shores
of the two great Bays
This trail was in use many years
after the settlement of the country by
the "pale-faces,' . before good roads
were plenty and in some places relics
of its existence may still be observed in
the worn and quilted depressions, and
by the spear and arrow-heads occasion
ally found. Between the head waters
of Duck creek and the Chester river
was a second, and from the Bohemia
river to the high ground on the Della
ware, near where New Castle now
stands, ran a third trail. Hence, the
first named was always known as the
"Middle Portage" AT a point near
the present locality of st. Anne's
Church, but on the north side of the
ravine, the trail suddenly turned to
the northwest, extending to an eleya-
tion not far from the present site Of
the village Of Warwick, where it again
as suddenly changed its course to the
southwest, and pursued direct course
to the Sassafras. The first named of
these two angles was called by the early
settlers, Hanson's Post" and the
other the . Mound, :" because an Indian
Sachem was there buried beneath the
canopy of huge Sycamore.
Both were trading posts, around
which struggled few log cabins and
bark huts. From the Mound, a trail
also struck off to the Bohemia. With
the encroachment of the white settlers
and the introduction of an emigrant
civilization, the aborigines rapidly dis
appeared, some by the ravages of dis
ease hitherto unknown to them, but
chiefly by emigration to the North,
where they joined the populous tribes
of their conquerors.
About the year 1907 primitive road
was opened through the wilderness from
the POST in a northerly direction
until it struck the Bohemia and Della
ware trail, and within the subsequent
two years another was opened all the
way through from the Lower Gran
ary" to the Sassafras. The place of
intersection was called Harrison's
Corner, . or more commonly, the Corn
erS. AS additional clearings were
made and brought under rude cultiva-
ton, and cabins began to appear about
the Z" Corners, the sturdy yeomanry
began to cast about them for a suitable
name for the new settlement, and
which now boas.ed of a cheap store, .
a Smithy, and place of entertain
ment for man and beast. Some jeal-
Gus feeling had been aroused at the
i" Post" by the successful rivalry of the
j" Corners, which subsided with the
waning fortunes of the former and the
announcement that the latter was to
be christened by the name of Middle
town, to perpetuate the memory of the
Indian Middle Portage.
A strong and vigorous settlement
was growing at the Mound" and
coveting the title or presuming upon
and numbers, it insisted that
the Corners should relinquish the
nan 2 to that community. Here was
a bone of contention and the beginning
Of rivalry and strife. A fierce contro-
versy arose, which threatened annihila-
tion to the peace, if not to the prosper
ity of both parties; and as neither
seemed disposed to yield to the other.
and the dispute becoming sharp and
angry, public gathering of the two
communities was called, to decide upon
some plan for arbitration and settle
ment. At this period the face of the
country was covered with extensive
forests. interspersed in the neighbor-
hood of the settlements by patches of
clearing with the tree stumps shooting
their second growth, and here and
there a gigantic Sycamore or Lirioden-
dron towering majestically above the
leafy ocean. From the centre of each
settlement arose one of these forest
kings, its g girth of body being that of
a shallop, and its branches and foliage
covering a rood" The assemblage
was held under a stupendous oak nearly
equidistant from the two settlements.
The discussions were strong and bois-
ferrous, and the convention was upon
the point Of breaking, when the follow
ing novel arrangement was unanimously
agreed upon.
Two committees Of three from each
party were appointed to carry out the
terms of the agreement, which were as
follows
A hole or cavity was worked in the
body of each of the two trees before
about yard from the