The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1882-04-29
SAMMONS AND HIS SONS.

SANIMONS AND HIS SONS.
| In speaking of the horrors of war.
| few people realize the individual
suffering and fearful peril to which
thousands of lives are exposed his
tory only treats of great events in
| which the prominent actors of the
time are engaged, while the fireside
and domestic tragedies, which were
far more deeply and intensely dra-
matte are left unrecorded and only
live as traditions in the minds of a
few descendants of the performers.
Among the various spots abound
ing with stories of terrible interest
none have witnessed scenes more
frightful than the valley of the Mo
hawk during the Revolutionary war
and it is one of the most extraordi-
nary and exciting of these incidents
that we rnapasa - nalata, =
It was in the year 1850, that an old
farmer named Sammons lived in the
neighborhood of the village of Johns.
! town, and near the johnson estate,
which had been sequestered in copse-
| quence of the former owner, Sir John
johnson, becoming a commander in
the British forces. Mr.. Sammons
was OfGerman extraction, whence he
had immigrated to his present abode.
His family consisted of three sons
and one daughter, all handsome,
sturdy, fearless, Independent and
staunch wings, like their father, who
was member of the Committee of
Safety, and held a lieutenant's com
mission in the American Army. The
whole family were well known to Sir
John, who had several times eXper-
| fenced protection from them in times
of imminent danger; but this did not
prevent most dastardIy and tiend-
iSh attack upon their home during
one of his marauding excursions to
the vicinity of his former residence.
He was accompanied by band of
| Indians, who, like pack of wild
beasts, sprang upon and tore to pieces
whatever he marked as his prey. On
| this occasion, however, with a REM
nant of humanity, he detached them
in various directions, and proceeded
stealthily to surround the house with
his own immediate troops, desiring
10 capture the family alive and carry
them off as prisoners.
t was very early in the morning.
and the first gray dawn had hardly
began to streak the horizon, when
the farmers youngest son, Thomas,
/ about nineteen, opened the back door
of the farm house and commenced
taking an observation. He was only
partially dressed, and was ruminat.
ing on the chances of safety in ven.
turing out before daylight as he de.
sired, on urgent business for in those
times stray Indians were always
prowling about, and wife and family
could never count on the safe return
of the beloved ones, even though
they went abroad only for short
distance and in broad daylight. Con,
Guiding it would be safer to wait un-
Til the sun rose, he was about retrea;
ing, when hand was placed on his
shoulder, and the words Il arrest YOU
in the kings name," informed him
that he was prisoner. The whole
family were asleep upstairs, or in the
act of rising, and the old man and
his two elder sons were soon se-
cured the females, consisting of the
wife of the eldest son. Jacob, and a
yung girl, the only daughter of the
old man, were left unmo ested by the
order of Sir John.
Thomas begged for an opportunity
of getting his clothes, or at least his
shoes and stocking, which was bru-
tally refused him accompanied by a
thrust of bayonet, which would
have killed him had not his fair
young sister thrown herself between
and warded off the blow. Her com
plant brought reprimand to the
soldier, and permission to finish dress.
ing. while the fierce troops ransacked
and plundered the house and OUT
buildings of everything they con-
tanned which could be carried with
them, including seven horses be.
longing to Mr.. Sammons. The whole
party was then marched off, the father
and sons closely pinioned and placed
between files of soldiers, their course
being directed toward the river. Here
they were Joined by the Indians, and
traversed several miles of the Mo-
hawk Valley, suffering the keenest
torture from the sight of the desola-
lufinn nnI