Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1890-09-09
LOyEwELL'S FIGHT.
THE FAMOUS BATTLE At FRvGBuRo
t65 YEARS 400.
esspAk Asss.s, 90 The seasuissry
Esessntss.
nv rnAScs rARKxAS.


the New England colonies were entering,
ss they hoped. upon q season of rcpose and
peace after the grrat French aud Indian
war that had tormented them for more
than ten years. Their hope was dissp-
pointed, for new war Was soon kindled
between France and England. and the
American coionie. of the two powers
wer, forced to take the consequences.
For u years more the borders of Maine,
New Hampshire and Massachusetts, were
harried by war parties from Canada, I'LL
In liza, the peace of Utrecht s@emei "a
end their miseries. 4 few tranquil years
followed, I'LL, In i,22, the Indians Of the
kennebec, the saco and the Penobscot,
provoked by wrongs aud instigsted by
emissaries from Canada, fell again upon
the border settlements, and thre.-yrar.
conflict ensue,i, sometimes known In its
day q. "Iyo,cwell's War" u took this
nam. from an lncIden, which WAS long I.
famous In the traditions of New Eng
land ne Chevy Chase In those of the Scot
tlsh border.
out ~ IN. heart ~ the White Noun.
tain. spring. the River saco, bnwllng
among rocks down the great gorge of
the Crawford Notch, tel by the foamlng
cascade. that leap from the crsgs of
Mount Webster, then winding through
the forests aud inter,sl.s of Conway (:
then circling northwari by the village of
Fry.burg In dc,ion. wandering. among
meadow., wood. and mountains, aud
then turning westward ani southwark to
Ioln the ..,. On the hanks of this erratic
stream LIVED the Abenaki tribe known s
the sokokis. When the country was first
visited by white men, most of these inii-
an. ll,,a near the falls of the river, not
far from u. mouth. They retired before
IA. English settlers. aud either Iolned
their kIndr-i Ia Maine or migrated to ~.
Francis aud other Abenaki .etilsmsuts
In Canada. Hut q sokoki hand called
pigwackct.. or I'oluswkr,s, .tlll kept
its plac- on the upper water. ofth river,
si q spot within th. prr.snt town of
Tryrhurg. Except q much smaller band
% their near relative. on Lake O-.lpce
they wcr. q, thl. time th. only human
tenant. of wildcrnes. many thousand
sausr- mile. Ia extent. Their position
made them difficult 20 acccs.. aud the
forest and the river were we'll stocked
With moose, deer, bear, beaver, otter,
lynx, mink, aud martrn. ln this, their
happy hunting ground, 81. PcIuawket.
tl,ou sht them.elye. safe and they would
ha,. been .o for tim. had they not c.-
pou..si ti,. quarrel ~ their nelghbor.,
tb- Norriigevock., aud made muricrou.
raId. against the T. nglish borders. under
their sar chief raugus.
Not far from where their ~igwams
stood, clustered IN q bend ~ the saco,
Law the SMALL lake now called i,oyewelrs
Pond. N owes II. name to John Iyo,cwcll
of Duu.tabls, q Massachusetts, town on
the New Hampshire line. iii. father,
the owner % n fortified house In Dun
stable, had been q soldier In Philips
war, aud had taken part Ia the famous
Narragln.et, swamp fight. The younger
Io,ewell, now about 80 years ~ age, Nv
ci with al. wife Hannah aud two or thru
children on q farm of 30 scrr-. The
inventory 81 hl. effects, made after his
death, Include. hye ar ak cattle, su.
mare, two steel traps With chains, gun,
two or three books. feather bel and
mattre.., along with sundry tools, pots,
barrels, chests, tub. aud the likr-the
equipment, Ia short, of q decent frontier
woman % the time. Hut being, like the
tough veteran, hls father. of a bold and
adventurous. disposition, he seems to
have been less given to farming than to
hunting aud bu.h-hghilng.
Duns,Able was attacked by Indians In
IA. autumn 10 i.st. aud two men we're
carried on. on which 10 Others went In
pursuit, but fell Into an ambush, where
seven or more ~ them we're killed,
Ioycwslr. brother-in-law, Jo.lsh Far
well, b.ing Que % tho.e Who escaped.
Soon after TIL. q petition styled q "hum-
ble memorial" wa. laid before the House
Of Representatives at boston. u declares
that, In order ''to Kill aud destroy their
enemy Indians, )" the petitioners aud ~ or
so other. are ready to spend on" whole
year In hunting tbem, provided they
can meet with encouragement suitable
The signature. are those of John Love
we'll, Josiah farwell and Jonathan Rob
bins. all of Dun.table, the frat name b.
Ing we'll written. and the other two
after a somewhat cramped and awkward
fashion. IN. Representatives accepted
the proposal aud voted 10 give each ad-
yenturer two shilllngs and siipence q
day, then equal In Massachusetts, curren.
cy to about one English shilling, out of
which he va. to maintain himself. The
men we're, In addition, promised large re-
wards for the .calps of male adult In
dlans.
A company 10 thirty vas soon raised.
iyoveweli MAS chosen captain, Farweil
lieutenant, and Robbins ensign. They
set out toward the end of November aud
rcappesred at Dun.table early In Janu-
ary, bringing one prisoner and one scalp.
Toward the end of the month l.ovewell
set out again, this time with cighty-ses-
en- men under him, gathered from the
villages of Dunstable, Groton. Lancaster
Uayerhiii and Billerics. They assembled
the frozen Merrimac, passed Lake Win
epe.auke, pushed nearly to the Whits
Mountains, aud encamped on q branch ol
the upper saco. Here they Killed
moose, q timely piece OF luck, for they
were In danger of starvation, aud Love
well had been compelled by want OF food
20 send hack good number of his men
The rest held their way, hiing on snow'
shoe. through the death-like solitud'
that gave no sign of life except the light
track Of some squirrel on the snow anc
the brisk note of the hardy little chick
adec, or black-capped titmouse, 40 famil
lar 10 the winter woods. Thus far tn
scouts had seen no human footprint
but on the ?0th Of February they founs
a lately abandoned wigwam, and follow
Ing the snow-shoe tracks that led from u
at length saw a splrc OF smoke rislni
out Of the gray forest by the side o.