The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-08-21
ERIC, THE NoRsEMAN's IS $3.50.
TOMBSTONE AT HAMPTON
Thorwald Eric Landed in 1904 and
Was Buried There.

Was Buried There.
Considerable discussion has been
aroused in the New England states
over the meaning of a. strage stone in
which are cut mysterious marks show
ing every evidence of extreme age.
This stone is, in fact, large rock,
and it has been attracting visitors to
Hampton, N. H.
Judge Charles M. Lamprey of Hamp-
ton, after prolonged investigation
of the subject, is convinced that this
stone shows that Thorwa1d Eric, the
Norseman, landed at Hampton in the
year 1904 and was buried there. Judge
Lamprey says:
The pre- Columbian discovery of
America by the Northmens is now I'M
doubtedly true, from what knowledge
can be gained from Icelandie sagas,
although for many years 1T was sin
cerely doubted. Bancroft, in his his
tory of the United States, Volume L.,
aIludeS to it and says: "The story
of the colonization of America by
Mortimer rests on narratives, mythO-
logical in form, and obscure in mean
ing; ancient, yet not contemporary"
and admits that ''the motives of these
intrepid mariners, whose voyages ex-
tended beyond Iceland and beyond ST.
oily, could have easily sailed from
Greenland to Labrador; no other clear
historic evidence establishes the ma
tural probability that they accomplish
ed passage"
The Norsemen were a Norwegian
race of bold, Seafaring men who had
founded a settlement in Iceland, so
that at the beginning of the tenth
century there was a population estt-
mated at from $4,000 to 10000 souls.
Their motto was Westward, ho!" and
they pushed on, reaching the shores of
Greenland, and there made settlement,
and in the beginning of the eleventh
century Greenland was we'll settled
and tributary to Norway, where Eric.
| the leader, had established the Chris
| tan religion.
Why, 'if they could easily have sail
| ed from Greenland to Labrador" as
| Bancroft says, did they not sail west
ward and accomplish the passage to
Labrador? They did, and there is no
| doubt in the minds of the students OF
ancient history that they sailed to
Labrador and further south till they
| landed on the New England coast as
| far south as Cape Cod, and, perhaps,
as far south as Connecticut.
] Left Eric, according to the narrative,
| was in Greenland in the year 1000 and
| proclaimed Christianity. In the second
| voyage he discovered Vineland, on the
shores of New England to which he
gave that name because of the album
dance of grapes growing. wild in the
! woods.
Where is "the point of land well
covered with woods" and where is
| the grave of Thorwald, marked with
crosses? Several localities ION New
Englands shore have tracings of in
scriptions. One is found on the North
mems Written Rock at or near West
Newbury, Mass. Traein8s on stone
tablet and stone pipe in ancient graves
in Beverly. Mass, and xpther things
in Rhode Island and Connecticut are
evidence of the landing of the Morse
men 900 years ago on New England's
shore which they called Vineland.
Hampton has stronger claim thar
any other locality, and Great Bears
Head must be THE point of land" and
well covered with woods" centuries
ago. Bears Head was then a much
longer point of land, and has beer
wearing away constantly for a Ions
time. There are rocks extending on