Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1913-02-11

/ tnelr cnleI, MS companions WOulQ IL
leave to the same fate, but chose pt
culiar burial. They carried it down
the meadows in the vicinity of tn
mouth of the outlet stream from Moos
Pond, which enters the river 220 rod
above the Falls, and selecting suitabl
bog, broke out or cut away space
the bushy turf, and laid down in it thei
dead chief, then stepping on the corps
pressed it into the swampy ooze to tn
depth of their waists,-a soft final be
and no laborious grave digging. Thu
says the narrator, 'they performed tn
last offices of friendship" and then sc
forward.
TERROR AND FLIGHT.
On Saturday, the two men, Butterhel
and Blodgett, according to promis
were making their way towards tn
camp and at three miles distant dis
covered tracks appearing to show
party of seven. Naturally they sup
posed them Indians" Anxious Ger
tainly they made speed to the camp
Fears were realized. They found out
side dead body judged to be that o
Snow, but mangled beyond clear recog
milton and covered by a piece of bark
Inside they found his shoes and th
bullet-pouch belonging to Samuel But
terfeld, of whom they say nothing, a
of course he had disappeared. Alst
there was a stick-cooking spit-stucl
in the ground, bearing on its end {;
moccasin, the toe pointing to the north
west. Evidently the captives thus wrote
in plain sign language the direction the,
must go, to inform their companion!
when they should return.
While the two men, distressed and ex
cited, viewed the terrible place and the
repelling dead, Blodgett, too keen
sensed by trepidation, heard noise a:
he thought-a bird or squirrel, perhap:
and urged quick departure. By ir.
resolute fear they would not stay for q
slight burial of the dead. Eight miles
onward they fell upon a trail indicating
about the same number of men as be-
fore. At New Gloucester they of course
told their alarming story, and in North
Yarmouth before a justice or some
prominent man they made deposition
declaring what they had seen and done
since it was a duty of such perilous
times to report every hostile occurrence
to the Governor and Council. Perhaps
previously to their arrival at New
Gloucester, or certainly upon the intel
ligence they brought, a scouting party
was despatched from the fort, led by
Mr.. Stinchfeld, which buried as decently
as possible the corpse of the unfortunate
Jonathan Snow.
CANADA TRAIL.
After the novel burial of the Indian
chief, his men, conveying the three cap
tives, pushed on to Lake Umbagog. Be-
sides other plunder there were now five
guns besides their own for four Indians
to carry, but the prisoners were now
servants and would have good share OF
the luggage put on their shoulders ex-
cept loaded guns. Joined by other
members of their party for whom they
tarried at the lake, the band engaged in
their accustomed manner in two-fold
ceremonial-lamentations for their lost
leader, a pow-wow of rejoicing over
captives taken. Then they took up the
trail into Canada, probably to St
Francis district, for it may be assumed
the band belonged to that tribe, the CHIEF
pestilent nest whence viperous broods
crept out to prey upon English settle
mentS.
Such fateful events attended the ex.
pedition proposed by this company OF
hunters ITO the headwaters of the Little
Androscoggin." All and only the well.
accredited facts are combined in this
narration. The careful reader will still
ask-whence came these asserted facts
and have they full authority?
HISTORICAL SOURCES.
The fatal encounter took place 2t
years before the first log cabin was bull,
in the township now Paris. The in.
coming settlers nearly all entered BY
the way of New Gloucester, and Ger.
tainly then or in subsequent intercourse
with these nearest neighbors were tolc
of the stain of the bloody deed blottine
their township; for in that town some
were still living, who had heard the
first startling reports-a hunter killed
his mutilated body in the forest, also
the burial party and its report. Nc
more, no particulars, till a message
should come back from the Canad;
borders: no word, no line written, sug
gests that such a disclosure was evel
made in that town, nor in Paris til
after its. settlement was well begun
Those few main items were all a mar
could tell to his new neighbor; nothing
printed or written for two score years
Hon. E. L. HAMLIN.
The first written account was by Hon
Elijah L. Hamlin when young man
the oldest brother of Hon. Hanniba
Hamlin; and was published in 1924. l
must be assumed, as Mr.. Hamlin give
no hint, that he wrote out the story a
he obtained it from some well-informet
person, or as it was current in the vii
lage. 1t includes, however, particular
such as must have come more or les
directly from participants in the affair
but the narration is very deficient II
important matters, and is faulty in re
spect to some of the facts. 1t wa
properly and worthily introduced b.
Silas p. Maxim, Esq. into the Histor.
of Paris, as the only information
available
MOLLOCKETT.
1t seems needful to notice recen
tradition alleging that the story wa
told to early inhabitants Of Paris b.
Mollockett-or Molly Ockett-the In
dian woman on whose gravestone Dl
N. T. True inscribed The Last Of tn
Pequaketts. Whether pative Pequak
EFT or Anasagunticook she shared wit
those dwindling tribes, removal b
French aid to Canada, to haunts abou
the St. Francis river. who were there
fore styled St. Francis Indians. Whe
the wars were over and settlements i
northern Oxford established, Mollocket
returned to the old hunting grounds
Dates are wholly lacking. In viii
freedom she ranged the hills and forest
she loved, camping here and there, a
ways in kindly amity with the peopl
but never so far civilized as to slee
willingly, and only with discomfor
within a house. She came first
Fryeburg; later Bethel was chi,
abiding place where she had intima,
friends, and also Andover where ST
died in 1915, reputed about 100 veal
old.
How easily traditions 60 astray :
shown by the opinion of this story tn;
Mollockett was living in the regic
and had acquaintance with Capt. Sno
and was able to tell the story of Il
tragedy. But for four years threatel
ing conditions prevailed from Montre
to the Ohio Valley; both sides we
alert and watchful resisting encroac
/ rnenfs The Indians eauerlx used d