The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1911-09-01
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Al I D.

SQTEt place il is the Oldest city and it
there, and in the vicinity, that
oL t opening scenes Of the great drama
the nations history were enacted
Il Being rich in tradition and land
turks, it is of these shall first write
~ doing so many brief historical ref
.ences will necessarily be made ex-
Httanatory of the places of interest
Iund it necessary to supplement the
tories of the guides and brush NJ"
an afternoons review of our early
. 2Istory at the library.
is cIts original name was Shawmut,
the lyen by the Indians, signifying PENN
whnla. The old planters who first oc-
Weupied Charleston called It fremont,
mafom It's three hills. The name Boston
hregas derived from the abbreviation of
buiome phrase pertaining to shipping. /
emember to have read somewhere,
ID )ut have now forgott 4 r.
The subject of this letter was anti
e ,ipated in previous one in which
ltn reference was made to the early settle
'edment Of Boston by the Puritans, so we
= are saved that detail here.
90 At the time Mrs. Hutchinson was
!, banished for disrupting the colony on
=, account of views respecting the Holy
-, Ghost, the colony was greatly exercis-
led over witchcraft, One record states
II, there had for three years previous
", been earnest efforts to eradicate the
a. devil from among them" The first
4 execution for this offense of a woman,
@ but it was not the last. For years
n afterward the tortures inflicted upon
T. those suspected of witchcraft are hor-
rible to read about, until finally they
1 became disburdened of this fanatical
S idea.
Extortion in profit on goods or work
I was also punished severely. A profit
of 33 per cent was regarded as unholy.
, Ii would seem the strenuous efforts we
are making to restrict the price of
commodities are not new even in this
country One unique instance | read,
in Skeletons history, where in 1910 the
town council of Boston employed one
Edward Palmer to build a pair OF
stocks, in which violators of the law
might be placed The price he
charged was considered so excessive
that after paying it the fore-fathers
initiated the stocks by ordering the
maker to be confined in them. | Won
der if the humor of the situation ap-
pealed to them.
The records of the Massachusetts
Historical Society preserve several in
teresting accounts of offenses punish
ed. Among them one Captain Stone
was fined one hundred pounds ($500)
and banished, on pain of death If he
returned, for sarcastically referring
to a justice of the peace as "justass. "
While the fathers had advanced far
on the road to liberty the palladium of
a disgruntled suitor-to criticise the
court-had not yet appeared among
them, evidently. Another instance, is
that where an offender had stolen some
corn from the Indians, he was ordered
to return twice the amount and there
after be called "Josias' instead of
Mr.. Jasias."
Coming now to the series Of events
which made Boston famous historically
and shaped the future for America,
the abrogation of the charter to the
colonists and the appointment of
Andros on arrival made secret laws,
II, was the first thing to arouse them.
Andras on arrival made secret laws,
without consulting the people pro-
hibited public meetings, extorted heavy
fees and claimed all lands had been
forfeited to the Crown subject to be
repurchased at the price fixed by him.
The colonists perceiving that they
were being deprived of all they had
struggled for during the past sixty-fye
years deeply resented the new order.
Secret meetings were held, and tax
ing advantage of the invasion of the
Prince of Orange into England. the
colonists revolted and sent AnGros and
his obnoxious regime out of the coun-
try. Later, 1892. new charter and a
new governor was sent over. with in
structions not to oppress the people
and things went on very well for a
time, Boston grew rapidly and be
came a large city for that day All her
citizens prospered principally in the
import and export trade and ship.
building 1t also became a very fash
ionable place. Men wore silk and satin
coats, lace at neck and wrists, silk
stockings, low shoes, with enormous
buckles Both men and women wore
powered wigs at various times. The
social life and its customs are in mark
ed contrast with the staid old Boston
of later day. One writer states that
weddings for instance, were among
the most important of the socia