The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1907-06-26
FOUNDING THE NATION.
History Of tie Early Days Of The
Jamestown Settlers.
By FREDERIC J. RASEIN.

by fKhDhklU J. fADklN
How many young Americans appre-
ciate the full significance of the COM
memoration of the settling of James
town, celebrated by the exposition at
Norfolk? The manner in which the
cornerstone OF this great naticl was
laid in the Virginia wilderness is one
Of the most stirring tales in the long
record of mans adventures. On board
the Susan Constant, the Godspeed and
the Discovery, which were battered for
sixteen weeks between wind and wave,
were 1O5 soldiers of fortune, with not
a woman or child among them. They
were a turbulent, restless crowd, that
alternately diced and prayed, and
more than once threatened to throw
good Master Hunt overheard because
his petitions could not stop the storms
that sorely harassed them. Fresh
from the Continental wars, where they
had seen kingdoms rise and fall at the
whim of leader, they grew suspic-
icus OF one Of the number, Captain
John Smith, and had him imprison-
|
murder the other leaders and make
himself king of Virginia. Had they
not heard tales of him in London, as
they sat over their tankards of ale at
the Mermaid, or between acts when
they went to Black Friars' Theatre to
hear Master William Shakespeare in
his own tragedies? Had they not heard
how he left England an orphan youth,
unknown and unloved, to become SOL
dier in Flanders, how he served with
distinction under Sigismund Bathori
in the war against the Turks, how he
travelled in Russia, Germany, France,
Spain and Morocco, to return to Eng
land in 1904 knight and famous
man at the age of twenty-five? They
felt they must needs fear so capable
and powerful man.
When the sails of their storm tossed
ship finally beat their way between
| two sheltering arms of land one spring
morning and passed a friendly place,
where the winds and the waves were
kind to them, they called the place
| Point Comfort. and 1t is still SO
| named. One evening, some days later,
| they swung forty miles up a strange
| river and dropped anchor by long
| fiat island that lay mid-stream. A few
adventurous souls sprang ashore to
see the wonderland whose breath Of
| spring flowers was waited to them
| through the evening shadows and
whose green trees they could see
| crowding close to the river bank. The
| men feasted their sea weary eyes on
the gorgeous spring blossoms along the
shore. The dogwood, honeysuckle and
Judas trees were in bloom. 1t was "the
| Moon Of Strawberries" and the hungry
| Adventures found the luscious wild
fruit clustered thick on the river bank.
Captain Smith, in a glow of joyous en-
thusiasm, exclaimed: Heaven and
earth have never agreed better in max
Ing place for mans habitation."
The original landing place was about
fifteen hundred feet to the west of the
present wharf and was swept away by
the tapping waters of the river many
years ago. The rest of the island lies
today very much as it did then. Ac-
cording to Ralph Hamor, an early Sec
retary of the colony, it was two and
three-fourths miles long and from
three hundred yards to one and one
fourth miles wide A neck of land at
first connected it with the mainland,
but this was washed away in the sue
ceeding years and left "the island of
James Cite" as we now see it. They
were religious-these early settlers
and one of their first acts on landing
was to stretch an old sailcloth on a
tree and give thanks to God that they
had at last reached this paradise of
their dreams. The company included
'fifty-four gentlemen, four carpenters
and twelve laborers."
When they landed on the island, May
13, 1907, few knew how to work, nor
cared to, until Smith required that all
who ate must earn their food. Govern
ment was at first difficult matter, for
King James, with ever love of mys-
terry, had put the names of the council
lors in a sealed box, which was not to
be opened until the new land was
reached. All those named proved fail
ures except Smith, and on the work
of this man and the charity of the lit
tie Indian princess. Pocahontas, the
cornerstone of this great nation may
be safely said to have been built.
A triangular fort was built to guard
the approach over the neck of land
from the mainland, and a palisade fif-
teen feet high protected the log cab
ins and church that made up the vii
lage. Over on the opposite bank a
glass factory was in operation as early
as 1905 That same year few more
colonists came over, among them be-
ing Mrs. Forrest and her little four
teen-year-old maid, Annie Burrus. Wo-