The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1910-02-17
The Queen of the Kennebec
m the Last of the Wampanoags.
RY FRANK w. GOWEN.

.,.osbed bv two navigable channels of
~. Eeppebec river. Long years before
-.,, Phillips war, with which our story
INJECTED. this beautiful island was
..sgbited by savage tribes. Here the
, and war dance of the aborigines
...rded through the forest, while be-
.rr the bright, silvery moon, "the
In rr lover wooed his dusky maid"
.a-ia children played by the banks
-s.5i= historic river, which ripples along
.. ,. sea at Bath, not far away, and
..-s.4 their red limbs in it's bright
.....rs Here the great chief or Indian
-.4ear1 Kennebus, from who the river
.....bIv took its name, resided, and here
.4 ..re Of the forest often met their
and gathered around his council
do. I'd smoke the pipe of peace. Here
A. anne Samoset, chief of tribe OF
I,.a-s on Monhegan Island, whose
...ra spoken in English to the early
-r-s Welcome, Englishmen, have
famous in history. The voyage
,.u Mayflower across a storm-tossed
the landing of the Pilgrims at
r . m Rock. have been sung in song
.....4 jn story and the following beau
-n ; commemorating this famous
.. I'd the landing of these exiles
... foreign shore are familiar to
1oo boy:
7reaking waves dashed nigh
a tern and rock bound coast,
Pie woods against stormy sky
giant branches tossed.
he heavy night hung dark,
nils and water DER,
r q band of eXiles moored their bark
The wild New England Shore"
aimed that the famous Captain
r4ndish, who landed at Plymouth
r. With these exiles, visited Swan
As well as Captain John Smith,
for his courage and daring ad-
..s and whose escape from savage
the aid of Pocahontas is story
- live forever in the hearts and
If men. Probably Massasolt,
.. b of the Wampanoags and father
Phillip, when on one of the eX-
.... hunting excursions of which he
. Nv fond may have tarried or rested
, lovely island in the Kennebec.
... LAT sovereign was the noblest of
- staunch friend of the English
.n, doors at Plymouth were ever
o him. History states that his
,r .e most illustrious savage on our
r. mt. visited Maine, as well as other
O., of New England, just before his
uke out. and that he eXhorted his
With burning eloquence to join his
md and fight against the pale face.
.Aether he visited Swan Island is
aown. doubt if he did, because
the Massachusetts historian, tells
a his Book on the Indians 'that
and was sold by an Indian sachem
Mite man as early as 1861" AS
,.- was nearly ten years before King
n 5 war broke out, probably there
few, if any, Indians living on the
saal at the time of his visit to our
IS. 1t was over seventy years after
r. ath of King Phillip-who was shot
traitor of his own race-that the
7 rs raided the island, captured sew
# the white people and sent them
Ives to Canada. Probably the dusky
ors as they assembled the Kennebec
heir captives may have tarried at
LIN Old Point in Norridgewock and
-adDess thought of the awful mas
by the English of Father Rasle
hair own race at this place quar-
a century before To me one of
reetest thoughts in connection with
'e and works of this great priest is
act that he was total abstainer
quor He was the first Christian
er in our commonwealth to teach
rance among the Indians, and also
st Christian martyr. Nearly two
sd years have passed away since
RI wful deed was done at Narartsonae
a the poor Indians loved to call it,
-v place of those who travel by
va p" but the dew and rain have long
size washed away the red stains on the
s9i' Earth and monument has been
4 thio hicfnr.o frv-o11nd fO tho
of this great and noble priest,
vn1se name can never die.
Ene Indians were justified in making
saees of their captives by the law of re-
TAXATION, and they treated them with as
much respect as the English treated
tn4Jc captives, whom they sold as slaves
to the horrors of West India bondage.
EV.H the wife and little son of King
fb,lp after his death, were sent as
SAVES TO Bermuda and doomed to hope
less 7lavery; showing, after all, how re-
Veogeful is the heart of man, even after
having been touched by the power of the
gospel. These pious Puritans, whose re-
0g'ous prosecutions have been severely
criticised, showed no sympathy or even
respect fo1 the descendants of their great
'Hend. the noble Massasoit. 1t was
through the influence of this Indian
monarch that peace existed so many
Years, or during his life, between the
powerful Wampanoags and the English,