The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1894-04-04
The WinOOski River Near Middlesex.

Editor of Wdtchndn:-ln the Net0 Eng
land Magazine for March the leading article
Illustrated sketch by II. II. Mcintyre. Sand
wiched in among the pictures of the Pom
peiian Villa" " Fairbanks Scales" Proc
tor Marbles" Morgan Horses" Jersey
Cattle" etc, is beautiful Photographic
view of the broad bend of the Winooski
just above the long bridge between Middle
sex and Waterbury. 1t is lovely picture,
fair as the "banks and braes O. bonnie
Doom" and many incidents OF history, adj
venture and romance OF olden time occur to
me as / look upon it. This river has al
ways been the highway of war or of COM
merce since its discovery. Up this valley
from the lake came the Indians in their
wars before the white man came, and, later,
as the allies of the French in their attacks
on the English colonists. Up through the
mountains, shown in the background of
this view, in 1903 came Hertel DE Rouville
and his band to the sack and massacre of
Deertield, Mass, and back down the Win
ooski they went with their 112 captives,
the church bell and the minister, Rev. John
Williams, who might have consoled himself
with the reflection that he had larger
congregation than any minister gets in Mid
dlesex now, and that they could not run
away. 1t may be that he preached at the
site OF Middlesex village while the Indians
fshed in the Narrows'' but there is moth
ing in the morals of that place to indicate 1t.
This DeRouville was bold raider and
smooth-faced villain. He was slain at the
| fight at Pentucket 1908. 1t is Of him that
| Whittier says:
Where Rolfe beside his hearthstone fell,
And point the curious stranger where
DE ROuvlle's corse lay grim and bare
Bore not trace of hair or beard"
Later, when the English had conquered
Canada and the Revolution was on, up here
| came the 203 Indians and seven white men,
| in the autumn of 1880, to the burning and
ravaging of Royalton and it's vicinity. l
suppose it was to ward off another such
raid that the patriotic little band of twenty
four men went down the river on the ice
the next winter and were met by thirty To-
ries and Indians near where Richmond now
is. There was a sharp little fight. The In
dams, lying in ambush, had the advantage.
The leader of the patriots was MORALLY, and
some others slightly, wounded. Both
parties were content to turn back. History
tells but little of this Battle of the Win
ooski. A touching part of the record Is
that " Barnet soon after died and was car
ried by the Tory leader and his followers
down the river to the Penniman place and
buried beneath an old tree root The next
spring the brothers of John Barnet learned
| where he was buried, went after him, dug
him up and carried him on poles through
the wilderness to Piedmont Tor Piermont,
on the Connecticut River and buried
love and faithfulnessl What sorrowful toll
and WEAKNESS! This may have been the
first funeral procession OF white man
through this valley. At any rate, it was a
long route, eighty miles or more.
When the war was over, Thomas Mead
came down the river one bright May morn
ing in 1888 and began settlement and civil
izatiOn in central Vermont on the Middle
sex meadows. Here he lived without
neighbors for time, except the wild beasts
g 81, 10 10
hunter. He once killed three bears in one
morning before breakfast, and it was nc
great morning for bears either; but good
one for luck with him, as meat was scarce
except from the woods or river When
neighbors did come, they were good ones
cousin to "Old Put" of the wolf den and
Bunker HID; Lovewell Warren, who was
first town treasurer; Ezra Butler, at Water.
bury, afterwards governor. All these were
settled on the river before 1856. Colonel
Jacob Davis settled Montpelier on May 4
1887, and General Wait settled Waitsfeld
in 17S9-all good men and true. Yes, the
Winooski valley was first settled by as
grand men as the state ever knew. Three
of the best governors Of the state had lived
died and were buried on its banks-Chit
tenden, Butler and Paul Dillingham;. Car
you pick three better? And another still
lives who is the best of this generation
Another governor, who gave the best par
of his life to give Vermont new era in the
line of transportation by building the Yer
mont Central railroad, making this valley
a highway of commerce for the nations
Charles Paine, who honored, loved ant
lamented, sleeps in the valley at North
field. Yes, and still another, who was gov
ernor of the state forty years ago, LIVED
near the Winooski at Burlington--the only
Dutch governor we ever had-the brigh
and talented Cornelius p. Van Ness. Here
too, by the dashing Winooski Falls sleeps thu
great Green Mountain Boy who combined
the love of adventure of Robin Hood will
the strength, courage and patriotism o
William Wallace - the hero Of heroes
Ethan Allen.
Aye. there is history enough, glory enough
connected with this beautiful river to fill
big volume. 1t has not half been written
AS our own poet, the lamented Eastman
says
There's much he says about Vermont
For history and song
Much to be written yet, and more,
That has been written wrong"
Pardon me, Mr.. Editor, for the length o
this scattering scrawl of old memories. Thi
pretty little picture from the collections o
State Geologist Perry, has touched IN,
heart, and my mind fills with " old thought
and fancies new" If the true historian anC
poet of the Winooski does not soon appear
: Some day I'll tune my straw reed
And whistle TO the tune of many deed
Done by this river;
The truth of which, If there be need
I'll try to prove"
Middlesex, March "a, 1894.