The Press., 1911-04-05
A Legend of Stafford Springs.


 In the long time ago, when Ben. Rockwell from Windsor had settled on the top of Rockwell Hill, Daniel Ooburn from Dedham had established himself at the northern extremity of Stafford and opened a house of publ c entertainment, where John Adams spent night on his horseback journey to visit Stafford Mineral Springs, and where, later, Ebenezer Colburn and his descendants dwelt.
 When Asa Converse from Thomp. son, the ancestor of all the Converses now at and about the Springs, lived about one third of a mile west of the old pr. Stanton house, aud Josiah Converse from Woburn, the ancesto of the other Converse family, most of whose descendants moved to Randolph and vicinity in Vermont before 1S00), had planted himself and family at the north end of Stafford's broad Street, on land now in part occupied by J. 0 Adams, Esq, and some of whose descendants are now at Stafford. vile formerly New Furnace). (Both Asa and Josiah were descendants of Edward Converse, who came from England in 1880, and settled in Wo- burn, Mass, within two or three years sfter).
 When Daniel and Josiah Blodgett from Wnhurn uara Iooakad paor %ha river, and built the first mill dam at the Old Furnace, which dam is said to have remained good for more than one hundred aud fifty years, and whose desc ndants are scattered far and wide over the country, though few are remaining in Stafford.
 When the highway from the south end of the "Street" zig gagged down the hill and crossed the Furnace river where the Granite mill dam now is, and passing the "old Bloss house. !" branohed out, one leading by the old Parkess house to Hough's mill, later Bartl stt's, and so west to Som. CTS, supposed to follow the old Indian path from the Nipmuck country to the great river, and the other turning south and crossing the river from the west directly south of the Oopgrsga. tional church, and passing directly on the east side of the spring up the hill, sometimes called Crow Hill," sup posed from the poverty of the soil), and on to Holland, being the only di. rect road there.
 When the Springs House, a small one-story shanty. stood in the road as now travelled littls north of the spring, and the only respe ctable house for those times stood on the Bloss place. and when the new state of Connecticut was a fine province bs- longing to George Dei Gratis, king of Great Britain, etc when the country was sparsely settled.
 There was a small house on the top of Grow Hill, very near the south line of the town, inhabited by a man and his wife, alone One day it was dis covered that this man and his wife were dead. having been cruelty mur- dered, as it appeared, after deadly struggle, and left lying in their blood. The marks of bloody hands upon the walls of the room, the broken furni. ture, and the general demorslizatlon of the whole interior plainly told of the terrible tragedy that had been en. acted there
 The news soon spread, ,consternation seized the whole community, and as they were quiet and inoffensive couple, and no savage Indians or other murderous enemies being known in the vicinity, the people were dumb founded with terror and 8, ,tonishment.
 A "c'owners quest' was held, and the best men of the town were placed upon the jury, whc, after duly weigh ing all the testimony altiiusble and viewing the dead bodies anl the premises, came to the conclusion that the man murdered his wife and then killed himself, and accordingly de- creed that, in puri uance of the law of England, as it then was, that the body of the man should b, buried at a place where three ways meet; that stake should bs driven through his body and stones heavsd upon his grave.
 This decree was fully carried out. He was buried near the foot of Rock we'll Hill, where the road from Will lington intersects the Rockwell Hill road. The place was k 3pt in remem- brance for generations. and perhaps still is It was long place of terror to children, and many a full grown person preferred to get past 1t before dark The writer of this has seen the mound of stones. and heard the story told.
 Many years after he was thus buried, when the actors and most of the spectators of that tragic kosne had passed away; after the close of the Revolution, and when % nmerciRl relations had been established with the British West Indies, New York merchant in one of his transactions