The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-04-12

USuHl13s JOnu f1y00s W tll8kn and Elisha Lsmard.
 This was quite a colony of sturdy Pur- itans. They reached New Orleans after a tedious voyage. and thsn polsd their fiatboats up to the mouth of the Big Black, where the colony made it's settle ment. The province of Connecticut had been settled nearly iso years. The fertile land was limited in its arsa. and the prospect of making large property was too inviting not to lead to immigration, and so a second colony came three years afterward. This colony had weary time in reaching their new homes; . number died on the way, but they finally reached Mississippi and found Colonel Alston. rich man at the Petit Gulf able and will ling to shelter them and help them on their journey. Poor Phelps, who wrote the story from which Picketts quotes, lost his wife and his two children on the way and reached the colony lonely man, bereft of all he countsd dear.
 This was the first colony of New Eng land Puritans to come to Georgia direct. for though the Dorchester colony, which came to St. John Parish twenty years before, were of New England origin. they came from South Carolina. ThA Indians gave thsse settlers no trouble. they found the French planters and merchauts e New Orleans not bad neighbors, but alas! the Revolutionary War had begun before they were fairly settled. For some years. however, as in Eastern Georgia, there was nothing to disturb them. They knew there was war. and that was all. They were not rsvolutionists: thsy were abundantly satisfied to be left alone. but they were not to be happy.
 James Willing. from Philadelphia. with some troops. came down the Ohio and ell fn inA hA fpnntfnpaF5 o to join the revolt against England. but these coionists had no disposition to do so. He finally persuaded them to take an oath of strict neutrality, but this oath was not to be kept. In some way. not exactly known. the issue was made, and the American Wings and Loyalists were at war. Then France joined the revolu- tionists. Spain took part with France. and this little handful of Loyalists were left without protection against these three foes-Americans, French and Spanish. There was no possibility of escape by going dp, down, or across the river, but confident of the triumph of British arms, company led by Philip Alston. John AL ston, Cal Hutchen, Captain Lyman and Jacob winfrey. formed . body of Royal ists and marched to a fort on the Mis- sissippi to expel the Spanish and take possession of it. They soon learned the sad story to them that the British had been defeated at Pensacola and all the land was in the hands of Spain.
 There was nothing now before them but escape, if that was possible. The near est British fort was Savannah. about 300 miles away, but 1t was their only place of refuge, and they determined to try to make their way through the forests to this port of safety. There was no roads. and no guards to protect them; they had gone too far to make peace with their countrymen, and their only hope was to make their way to Savannah. They who were Whigs and mounted on horses at the time found themselves in the prairie country soon after she journey. began, and in a waterless land. They came near to fanishing for water, but at last found 1t by digging fountain, which kept them from pertaining.
 They now went into Northern Alabama and were by . friendly trader turned to McGilveray's settlement of the Greeks. which at last they reached. The great chief was not at home. and but for shrewdness of his negro body servant. who came to their rescue, they would have been massacred as Georgia Whigs. They were, however. spared till Mccsil- veray's return, when they were heartily welcomed and kindly cared for. They re- madned with him for some time and re- cruiting their strength began their jour ney toward Savannah and St. Augustine. They had been on the journey, to McGil- veray's 140 days. and incredible as it may appear. they had never lost single refugee by death. Some of them died soon after reaching Savannah, and the remainder were forced to flee to Canada. Alston and his party were captured by | the French and carried to New Orleans, | and condemned to death, but the Cover | nor pardoned them. This New England settlement, however, was not entirely | broken up. and this attractive country l drew other immigrants from other sec- tions, a-