The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1898-02-17
OUR EARLY INDIAN WARS.

/ uDe New England colonies were Ell
tering, as they hoped, on season o
repose and peace after the grea
French and Indian war that had tor
mented them for more than ten years
Their hope was disappointed, for &
new war was soon kindled betweer
France and England, and the Ameri
can colonies of the two powers were
forced to take the consequences. Fol
twelve years more the borders OF
Maine, New Hampshire, and Massa
chusetts we're harried by war parties
from Canada, till. in 1713, the Peace
of Utrecht seemed to end their miser
les. A few tranquil years followed
till, in 1922, the Indians of the Ken
nebec, the Saco, and the Penobsco.,
provoked by wrongs and instigated
by emissaries from Canada, fell again
upon the border settlements, and a
three years conflict ensued, sometimes
known in its day as ''Lovewell's War"
1t took this name from an incident
which was long as famous in the ira
ditions of New England as Chevy
Chase in those of the Scottish border.
Out of the heart of the White
Mountains springs the river Saco,
brawling among rocks down the great
gorge Of the Crawford Notch, fed by
the foaming cascades that leap from
the crags of Mount Webster; then
winding through the forests and in
tervales of Conway; then circling
northward by the village of Fryeburg
III devious wanderings among mead
ows, woods. and mountains, and then
turning westward and southwark to
join the sea.
On the banks of this erratic stream
lived the Abenaki tribe known as the
SoEokis. When the country was first
visited by white men most Of these
Indians lived near the falls of the
river, not far from its mouth. They
retired before the English settlers
and either joined their kindred in
Maine or migrated to ST. Francis and
other Abenaki settlements in Canada
But Sokoki band called Pigwackets
or Pequawkets, still kept its place on
the upper waters OF the river. at spot
within the present town of Fryeburg
Except much smaller band Of their
near relatives on Lake Ossipee, they
were at this time the only human
tenants of a Wilderness many thous
and square miles in extent Their
position made them difficult of access
and the forest and the river were well
stocked with moose. deer, bear, beaver
otter, lynx, mink. and marten In
this, their happy hunting ground, the
Pequawkets thought themselves safe
and they would have been so for a
time had they not espoused the quar-
rel of their neighbors, the NOrridge
wocks, and made murderous 1aids
against the English borders, under
their war chief Paugus.
Not far from where their wigwams
stood, clustered IN a bend of the Saco,
lay the small lake now called Love
wells Pond. 1t owes its name &c
Johu Lovewell, of Dunstable, a Mas
sachusetts village on the New Hamp
shire line. His father, the owner of a
fortified house in Dunstable, had
been soldier in Phillips war, and
had taken part in the famous Nara
gansett Swamp fight. The younger
Lovewell, now about 33 years of age
lived with his wife Hannah and two
or three children on a farm of 20C
acres. The inventory of his effects
made after his death, includes five OF
six cattle, one mare, two steel traps
with chains, gun, two or three books
a feather bed and a mattress, along
with sundry tools, pots, barrels, chests
tubs, and the like-the equipment, il
short, of d decent frontier yeoman oI
the time. But being, like the tough
veteran, his father, of bold and ad
venturous disposition, he seems tc
have been less given to farming thar
to hunting and bush fighting.
Dunstable was attacked by Indians
in the autumn of 1924, and two mer
were carried off; on which ten others
went in pursuit, but fell into an am
bush, where seven or more of then
were killed. Lovewell's brother in
law, Josiah Farwell, being one OF
those who escaped. Soon after this f
petition styled humble memorial
was laid before the house of represen
tatives at Boston. 1t declares that il
order to kill and destroy the Indian
enemy" the petitioners and forty OF
fifty others are ready to spend one
VIII ole year In hunting them, "provid
ed they can meet with encourage
ment suitable" The signatures are
those of John Lovewell, Josiah Far
we'll and Jonathan Robbins, all O.
Dunstable, the first name being wei
written and the other two after {
somewhat cramped and awkward fash
! ion. The representatives accepted
the proposal and voted to give eact
adventurer two shilIiDgs and sixpenct
a day, then equal In Massarhusett.
currency 10 about one English shil
ling, out of which to maintain him
self. The men were in Addition
promised large awards for the scalp'
OF male ADULT Indians.
A company Of thirty was soon rails
ed; Lovewell was chosen captain
Farwell lieutenant, and Robbins ell
| sign. They set out toward the end o
November and reappeared at DUO
stable early IN January. bringing one
prisoner and one scalp. Toward the
end of the month Lovewell set ou
again, this time with eighty sever
i men, gathered from the villages O
Dunstable. Groton. Lancaster. Haver
hill, and Billerica. They ascendec
the frozen Merrimac, passed Lake
Winnepesoukee, pushed nearly to tn,
White Mountains, and encamped on ,
branch of the upper Saco. Here they
killed moose; timely piece of luck
for they were in danger of starvation
and Lovewell had been compelled b,
want of food to send pack goo
number of bis men. The rest hel,
their way, filing Oh snow shoe
through the death like solitude tha
gave no sign of life except the ligh
track of some squirrel on the sno,
and the brisk note of the hardy littl
chickadee, or black capped titmous,
so familiar to the winter wood.
Thus far the scouts had seen no hi