The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1904-12-30
ono MERRIMAc RIVER cHIEEs.
An Interesting story Of the Last OF III,
sachems.

An Interesting Story of the Last OF the
sachems.
Few Massachusetts families - even
those with real blue blood in their
veins-knOw tnat Pasaconway and his
band Of Indians were the leaders In
high society in the Melrimac River
Valley. But that is so. They settled
on the river banks and some of its pie
turesque islands. and in 1928 there was
a great wedding for those days, the
bride being the chiefs daughter. Wit
anu, and the groom none other than
the sachem Of the Saugus. The story
of all these things. and many others
Of interest, was told by DR.. Charles
Cowley, of Lowell, at q stated meeting
of the New England Historic Genoa
logical Society.
Pasaconway seems to have had close
relations with the Government author
tiles of the white settlers. In 1852,
without waiting for a requisition, he
caused a murderer to be arrested and
delivered to the colonial authorities for
punishment. In 1642, suspactinG
conspiracy to extirpate the English the
colonists sent armed men to arrest the
Indians, forty being selected tcgct Pas
aconway. They could not find him,
but got his son and led him along with
rope In 1649 the Merrimac Indians
were visited by Eliot; they and Pasa-
conway heard the missionary willing
ly. In 1862. Pasaconway pctitioned
the Legislature for part of the land he
and his people formerly occupied. and
the petition was granted The date of
Pasaconway's death and the place Of
his burial were alike unknown.
He was succeeded by his son, NYo-
nolcnset, the last Of the Merrimac
River sachems. He obtained a grant
CT 100 acres of land from the Legis-
lature on the ground that he had q
great many children and 10 planting
ground, but in 1CG5 he gave up this
grant for the possession Of an island
in the Merrimac Of much smaller area.
The conversion Of Wonolonsetto Chris
tianity was described.
In 1915, when King Phillips war
broke out, Wonolonset and his braves
took to the woods. This only intensi-
fed the fears of the colonists, and Cap
tain Mosely and 100 men were sent in
pursuit. The fort occupied by Wono-
lonset was found deserted, but the sol
diers barbarousiy burned all the wig
vans, also destroying all the dried
fish the Indians had prepared FOR the
winter. The Indians were in the
woods, and wanted to fire ON the
troops. but Wonolonset restrained
them, and then took his men ctlll fur
ther into the Wilderness. On enc oc-
casion thirty Of them were treacher-
ously massacred in the presence OF
Wonolonset. But this did not prevent
Wonolonset from subsequently giving
information to the colonists Of the ap-
proach Of a party of hostile Indians.
Finally, Wonolonset and his men went
to Canada and there joined the ST.
Francis Indians. His friendly serv-
ices were tardily and poorly appre
ciated by the colonists, many Of whom
did not distinguish between friendly
and hostile Indians.
For some years Wonolonset was pro-
vided for by the Province. He died in
1896. In a few days, tho speaker said,
it was purposed to cut en- inscription
to his memory in boulder on enc o.
the islands of the Mcrrinac.-Bcston
Transcript.