Evening star., 1909-05-09
MEMORIAL TO HEROINE
Monument to Hannah Dustin
Erected at Haverhill, Mass.
CAPTURED BY INDIANS
Tomahawked and Scalped Ten of Her
Captors.
RETURNED SAFELY HOME
Remarkable Courage and Fortitude
Shown by Wife of One of
the Massachusetts, Pioneers.
HOME
By WILLIAM f. CURTIS.

Herald.
recent letter about statues to women
in Alabama has called out several inter-
esting responses relating to memorials OF
that kind which are unknown to the gem
eral public. The oldest seems to be that
erected by the people of Haverhill Mass.
in honor of Hannah Dustin, whose extraor-
binary adventures with the Indians in
1887 are related in all the biographies
and colonial histories In October. 1855,
the Dustin Monument Association was
organized "for the purpose of purchasing
enclosing and improving the site of the
house from which Hannah Dustin was
taken by the Indians in 1851 and erecting
thereon monument to her memory"
In January 1856 "a levee was held in
the town hall. which realized the sum
of $J23.39 for the association. Among the
articles on exhibition at the levee were
the gun which Mrs. Dustin took from the
Indians at the time of her escape; the
scalping knife. said to have been used
by her on the occasion: Il tankard pre-
sented to Mrs. Dustin and Mrs. Neffe by
Gov. Nicholson of Maryland: a pair of
tongs and a platter. formerly belonging
to Mrs. Dustin. and the pocketbook of
Thomas DUSTIN The above quotation is
from history of Haverhill. published in
1861, which also tells us that in March,
1856. the association was Incorporated by
the legislature of Massachusetts.
The Monument.
G. A. Whipple of Evanston. Ill. who is
a descendant of Hannah Dustin, gives me
the following account of the monument:
'In 1865 a project to perpetuate in
stone the memory of Hannah Dustin was
discussed in Haverhill and that year the
Dustin Monument Association was organ
lied. 1t originated among the residents
of the West Parish. but an insufficient
sum was raised. In 1879 1t was announc-
ed that philanthropic citizen of Haver-
hill had donated money for a statue to
be erected in City Hall Park. little tri
angular plot about three-fourthS of an
acre in extent. 1t is bounded by three
streets and is situated nearly opposite the
city hall On November ~. 1879. the
monument was dedicated. The bronze
statue which surmounts the monument is
six feet high, and represents a woman
termined attitude, with a stern express
sion upon her face. while her hair is
streaming in the wind. She grasps a
tomahawk in her right hand.
1.-The granite pedestal is nine feet high.
making the total height of the monu-
ment fifteen feet. Each of the four sides
of the pedestal. which is six feet square
at the base, contains bronze bas-reliefs,
representing Mrs. Dustin's capture. her
husbands defense of the children, scene
of the scalping of the Indians and her
return to Haverhill with the nurse and a
boy in a canoe. The inscription upon
the pedestal is:
HANNAH DUSTON.
Was captured
by the Indians
In Haverhill,
March 15. 1897"
The history of Haverhill piyes tho fol-
lowing inscriptions:
Hannah daughter of Michael and
Hannah Emerson. wife of Thomas Duston.
born in this town December %. 1867.
fat which time her babe, then but six
days old. was barbarously murdered, by
having its brains dashed out against a
tree). and taken to an island in the Mer-
rimack at Pennacook now Concord, N. H.
On the night of April 10, 1897. assisted
by Mary .Sef and Samuel Leonardson.
she killed ten of the twelve savages in
the wigwam, and taking the scalps and
her captor's gun as trophies of her re-
markable exploit, she embarked on the
waters Of the Merrimack. and after much
suffering arrived at her home in safety.
detailed account of her bloody ad-
ventures was written by the famous Rev.
Cotton Mather. who heard the story d-
tivity. and published in the first edition
of his ''Magnalia' in 1902, five years
after the tragedy described. Rev. Mr..
Mather begins his quaint narrative in this
way:
Cotton Mather's Narrative.
"On March 15. 1857. the Salvages made
Descent upon the Skirts of Haverhil.
Numbering and Captiving about Thirty
nine Persons. and Burning about half
Dozen Houses. In this Broil one Hannah
Dustan, having lain-in about Week. at
tended with her Nurse. Mary Neff, a
widow. a Body cf terrible Indians drew
near unto the House where she lay,
with designs to carry on their Bloody
DeyastatiOns. Her Husband hastened
from his Employment abroad unto the
relief of his Distressed Family. and first
bidding Seven of his Eight Children
(Which were from Two to Seventeen
years of age) to get away as fast as
they could unto some Garrison in the
Town, he went in to inform his Wife of
the horrible Distress come upon them.
.The Nurse trying to escape with the
Newborn Infant, fell into the Hands Of
the Formidable Salvages. and those furi-
Gus Tawnies coming into the House. bid
poor Dustan to rise Immediately. Full
of Astonishment she did so; and sitting
down in the Chimney with an heart full
of most fearful Expectations, she saw
the raging Dragons rifle all that they
could carry away, and set the House on
Fire. About Nineteen or Twenty Indians
now led these away, with about half
score other English Captives: but ere
they had gone many Steps. they dash'd
out the Brains of the Infant against
Tree: and several of the other Captives,
as they began to tire in their sad Journey,
were soon sent unto their Long Home;
the Salvages would presently Bury their
Hatchets in their Brains and leave their
Carcases on the Ground for Birds and
Beasts to feed upon. However, DuStan
with her Nurse), notwithstanding her
present Condition, Travelled that Night
about a Dozen Miles, and then kept up
with their New Masters in a long Travel
of a Hundred and Fifty Miles, more or
less. within a few Days Ensuing. with
out any sensible Damage in their Health.
from the Hardships of their Travel their
Lodging. their Diet, and their many other
difficulties. .
But on April 80 while they were vet,
it may be. about an Hundred and Fifty
Miles from the Indian Town. a little
before break of Day, when the whole
if ii prove not sol one of these Women
took up a Resolution to initiate the
Action of Jael upon Sisera. and being
where she had not her own Life secured
by any Law unto her. she thought she
was not forbidden by any Law to take
away the Life of Murderers by whom
her Child had been Butchered She
heartened the Nurse and the Youth to
assist her in this Enterprise. and all
furnishing themselves with Hatchets for
the purpose. they struck home Blows
upon the Heads of their Sleeping Oppres-
sors, that ere they could any of them
struggle into any efectual resistance at
the Feet of those poor Prisoners. they
| how'd. they fell. they lay down; at their