Middletown transcript., 1881-08-05

overtures of a manifestly coming Rail
road.
But Middletown has history. That
Of her venerable sister, Odessa, was
given to the world years ago and the
writer of these pages well remembers
an incident which occurred about that
period, inspiring him to wander back
to, and grope through the twilight Of
colonial history in search Of the annals
here recorded. A gentleman of promi-
nence and intelligence, Of the name OF
McKim or Mickey, then living in or
near the township of Appoquinimink,
assured the writer that the original and
Indian name Of Cantwell's Bridge was
the same as that of the river and town.
ship which borders it-"Appoquini-
mink y that on a hunting OF piscatory
excursion, or, it may have been some
other expedition, or some of his neigh
bors. there was fished up from the
bottom of the river near the town, a
remarkable stone most curiOusly
wrought and sculptured, and fully cor
roborative of the published researches
and discoveries of the historian OF
Odessa. The English translation OF
the name, "Appoquinimink, y had long
been known to some of the residents to
be 6 Crippled Duck, 2 and as the Abor-
iginees never gave names to localities
or objects without great significance OF
meaning, not only was the written
history completely vindicated and set
tied, but the characters upon the stone
were interpreted and read with distin-
guished accuracy. Through the polite
ness and kindness of the gentleman
above named, the writer once saw this
remarkable petrous monument OF
Indian art. To the best of his recOl-
lection, it was about fifteen inches in
length. six OF seven in width, and three
or four in thickness, irregularly paral-
telegram in shape and pOrphyritic in
appearance and composition. Evidently
it had lain in its watery bed for cen
turies, and the edges and upper side,
and the characters thereon sculptured
were worn smooth as glass by the at
triton of the current, whilst the side
next to the ground was corrugated.
The artist had carved canoe, in the
stern of which was seated an old Indian
Brave, in the act Of padding. In the
bow was seated an Indian maid, his
daughter, engaged in the humane offices
Of setting and bandaging the broken
wing Of a wounded teal. Above the
head of the former and the shoulders
of the latter, were sculptered their
names" Mooskinska, " and Ometa"
and beneath the vessel, in pure Man
ahoac, the word" Appoquinimink. .
It was the design Of Mr.. Mickey to
present this rare specimen of aboriginal
art to the Historical Society of Della
ware, with an elaborate paper from the
pen of a distinguished local historian
in the city Of Wilmington.
The writer of these pages, confessing
a weakness for historic lore, impelled
by that principle referred to at the
Of this article, and
by the results achieved at
Cantwell's Bridge, has carefully and
patiently pushed his Investigations UP
to the very moment the parturient par
Dxysms ushered into being the munich
pal infant-M -Middletown.
From the most authentic authorities
it appears that, prior to the settlement
Of the island Wokoken, in 1884, the
whole of the Peninsula now comprising
The State of Delaware, the Eastern
Shore counties of Maryland and Vir-
ginia, and a narrow strip Of the border
ing State of Pennsylvania, was inhabi-
ted by six independent tribes Of Indians,
united in kind Of federal compact for
against their war-like and for
neighbors to the North and
East-the Delawares and Lenna Le-
nape. This Peninsular territory, so
so luxuriant in vegetable pro-
duction, and SO abounding in game,
fish and shell-fish, and covered by the
most magnificent forests, had long been
coveted by the fierce and powerful Iro-
1uois or Five Nations stretched over a
vast belt reaching from the Hudson to
the Mississippi. Between them, how
ever, and the land they coveted, lay the
lands of the Delawares, Lenna Lenape
and some other tribes, between whom
and the Peninsular Indians existed a
brisk traffic in skins and furs, for the
rich productions of the more favored
land. AT length emissaries were sent
abroad by the Iroquois, who stirred up
strife, not only between the Delawares,
Illinois and Lenna Lenape, but also
the Kuskarawaocks, Ozimies
and Yockwogh, themselves, the three
most populous Of the six confederated
tribes.
As was designed, war was the result
Of these intrigues, long continued,
cruel and bloody. Not only was the
federal union broken up, but the six
tribes composing it, and the Unalachtgo,
Unamies and Minsi tribes composing
the Lenna Lenape, together with the
whole Of the Munsey or Delaware ma
tion, were completely subjugated by the
Iroquois and made to pay an annual
tribute to their conquerors. This trib-
ute was paid until the time of Penn's
first treaty with the ChihohOcies, in
1852, and was chiefly in
luxuries afforded by the waters of the
two great bays.
En- pdssdnt, | will here take occasion
to remark, to the immortal honor and