Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1896-07-01
A PIRATES LAST ABODE.
ODD Legend of Colonial Days Told
in the Ancient City
Of Lynn.

Lynn, Mass. June 27.-Many fascinat-
ing stories have been written about life
in New England in the early days. when
the Puritans were struggling with the
Indians on the one hand and with star
walton and the witches on the other.
Few Of them have more interest TO the
present generation than that connected
with what is locally known as Dungeon
rock, a high hill back Of the city of
Lynn, and within the tract of several
thousand acres of land taken by the city
as a public park, and known as Lynn
woods. Away up in the highest part of
this tract. that few years ago was a
dense wilderness. is Dungeon rock, and
here is the story connected with 1T;
In the year 1868 there were few
houses in what is now the city of Lynn,
and these were built in line quite near
the banks of the Saugus river, tortuous
little stream that is navigable only a
short distance from where it empties into
Massachusetts bay. There were wild
stories of piracy along the entire New
England coast, and any strange craft
that made its appearance was regarded
with suspicion until its mission was
made known. One evening in the spring
there appeared in the Saugus river lit
tie vessel that none of the inhabitants
of Lynn had ever seen before.
At about mile or so up the stream it
came to anchor, and four men lowered
away a boat and made a landing. Then
they went up into the woods. On the
following morning it was found that dur
ing the night they had returned to their
boat and sailed away. After that the
craft returned a few times, and soon the
men built Il little cabin in the lOneliest
part of Saugus, across the river from
Lynn, and lived there when they were
10 ES of n
and the well which they dug are pointed
out TO this day.
One morning while the craft was an
chOred in the river one of the men en-
ployed in the iron foundry, at that time
about the only institution of its kind in
the country, found note telling him that
If he would make a certain amount of
shackles, handouts and matches and
leave them in deSi grated place in the
woods the amount of money equal to
their value would be found in their
place. The articles were made and left
at the spot mentioned, and the money
was found, according to promise.
This, Of course, convinced the inhabi-
tants that the mysterious strangers were
pirate, and their convictions were furth-
or strengthened when one of the Kings
cruisers appeared in the harhor. captured
three of the men and carried them off to
England. The one who escaped was
Thomas Veal and he fed to a cavern in
the woods where he remained III hiding
for some time. Then he came out and
made frequent visits to the settlement to
purchase food, still having his place of
abode III the dungeon on the hill.
1t was in 1908 that an earthquake Wis
tied New England. and after the shock
was over it was found that a great rock
had rolled down the hillside and COW
cred up the mouth of the cave wherein
Thomas Veal dwelt, imprisoning him SO
securely thai his bones are supposed to
be resting there now. The incident was
almost forgotten by the people of the
growing settlement until there appeared.
III 1897. man named Hiram Marble,
who purchased Dungeon rock from the
city OF Lynn. and announced that he had
received spiritual information to the
effect that there rested with the bones
OF Veal, i'll the cave under the great rock,
large amount of gold and silver the.
plumber of the four pirates of 200 years
before upon the high seas. Marble was
a man of apparent intelligence. He had
81 keen eye, high forehead and a faith
in clairvoyance that was intense. With
in short while after his purchase he be-
gan digging and blasting for his treas
ure, and, working for the most part
alone, he continued his digging for a
period of twenty-five years, when he died
and his work was taken mp by his son,
who continued it for eight years more.
The rock through which these men dug
is of hard porphyry. Marble struck
into the rock by blasting out
hole about four or five feet in
width and varying from FIVE to
seven feet in height. and these dimen-
sions were maintained to the end of the
dungeon, 10 feet from the opening.
Sometimes the course taken is almost
straight down, then it turns a sharp
curve and proceeds upward, only to sink
deeper into the rock at the next turn
The work was done under what Mar
bic and. his son considered spiritual di-
rections. ana they had frequent inter
views with the spirit of Veal, the robber
who was buried in the cave under the
rock, and one of his companions. whose
name was Harris Some of these COM
municatiOns came in written form and
We're in a jOcular vein. Marble frequent
ly showed them to his visitors at the dun
geOn.
The entrance 20 the dungeon is now
guarded by an iron gate, and the city
of Lynn keeps a guide at the place to
conduct visitors into its depths.