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

surprising WuSH SuitdoiS hiSeS''Ss
works were not at hand. AS his nal
rative was copied into the history c
| Paris, the author commented in maj
ginal note on the evident error in tn
year, because such raids ceased befor
J the fall of Quebec, yet the correct dat
could not be stated. But now in 191;
with histories abundant, still late
year, 1864, for such an Indian fora,
suggests the carelessness of newspape
speed or willing ignorance.
The true date is certified by an officia
list now in the Massachusetts, Archive:
1t discloses 341 captives taken fror
1854 to August, 175s-none reporte'
later. Against the names of Taylor
Farwell, Butterfeld, is the date of seiz
ure, May, 1855. For Taylor and Far
well the place is New Gloucester, bu
for Butterfeld no place, as it was ia
beyond the limits Of any town. Ih
| deposition, however, goes further
showing nearly the day of the month";
l. a few days after May 10. Capt. Snow
companions returning and viewing tn
shockingly mutilated corpse, judged h
had been dead some days." which nigh
mean two or three days. Two days earlie
than Saturday, the cath, the day o
return, will give nearly accurate date
May %, 1855, about seven weeks previ
Gus to the disastrous defeat of Gen
Braddock.
RESIDENCE OF HUNTERS.
Whence the hunters came is not as
certained. The names represent man!
families of Middlesex County. Reasons
appear to assign Butterfield anc
Blodgett to Dunstable. Research by ar
historical writer has obtained evidence
that Samuel Butterfeld, the companion
of Capt. Snow, and the captive, was the
son of Ebenezer of Dunstable, and wa!
then seventeen years of age, and that
released, he in middle life became al
efficient promoter of settlements or
those grants of land in Oxford County
which became Buckheld, Hartford
Sumner. He, however, made his home
on the Sandy river in Pennington, and
was prominent leader in public
affairs, and there died in 1908. This
view can be accepted with much conf
dence, yet some evidence appears ad-
verse to the opinion.
But if in the matter of identity it shall
be proved that the youth Samuel Of the
Androscoggin camp did not 25 years
later become a pioneer on the Sandy
river and a prominent townSman but
was another person, then the presump-
ton that he and his companions be-
longed to Dunstable will be weakened ;
we lose also proof that he escaped or
was finally released; indeed we can as
sert nothing but his captivity. The ap-
plication to the government in his case
was signed John Aid" Further a
conjecture is warranted. In Butterheld
families of Chelmsford was one Jona-
than who was second cousin to
Ebenezer, the father of Samuel of Dun
stable, and who had two sons, Jonathan
and Samuel. Their father was cap
tain in that Indian war, and they were
of evident ages to enter upon adventure,
and might be the Jonathan and Samuel
Butterfeld who were the companions OF
Blodgett and Snow.
The native place of Jonathan Snow
is not disclosed, perhaps was Dunstable,
for that town had high credit for men
active in the Indian wars. He had been
in the service and had attained the rank
of captain A scouting party on the
New Hampshire border in 1850 was in
command of Captain Jonathan Snow,
and his muster-roll was presented to the
Legislature in 1853. Name, rank, serv-
ice the same, compel belief that Capt.
Snow of the scouts was likewise Capt.
Snow the hunter in 1855, who met an
unsought foe at the Androscoggin
camp.
The captive Farwell bore name
common in Dunstable, but it is only
known that he engaged for duty i'll the
New Gloucester fort, one of six men
aiding its defence. Application in his
behalf was sent to the government by
Susanna Farwell. AS reasonable to be-
liefs he was released as that he ended
his life in Canada.
THE MISTAKEN NAME.
The tale of tragedy told and retold in
Paris early transmitted the captives
name, Butterfeld, into Stinchfeld,-
easily occurring, since both had the
same final syllable. The change gave a
confused perspective to the entire trans
action which the various stories show,
and chiefly by attaching the hunters to
New Gloucester, with which they had
no relations only by their journey
through. Mr.. Holmes obtained the cor
rect name, as he writes. MIR. Butter
field" told what took place when the In
dians came. Mr.. Hamlin's narrative
| shows that the mistaken name had al.
ready been introduced, and it has held
| fast till the present year; not without
protest, however, for 40 years ago a
citizen of eminence, Col. Henry K
Parsons of South Paris, having close
| family relationship with New Gloucester
people, told clearly Stinchfeld's connec-
ton with the affair,-simply leader OF
the burial party. AS the full names oi
the four men are now known the per-
sistent error should disappear.
THE MARAUDERs.
The band which assailed the camp
were five, number determined by the
tracks discovered by Butterheld and
Blodgett. They confidently say, Sever
Indians as we then supposed"-supposed
because they had later learned two were
captives. They do not at all suggest
whether they were on the way to camp
from the north or the south, and il
might be either. If from below the
tracks were made by five Indians anc
two captives, or above, by four and three
captives. The place was about three
miles from camp on small brook, bu
no such reliance can be put on their esti
mate of distance in the forest as now
to point out any particular brool
known. The tracks would be equal.
fresh because made the same day, be
fore and after the murder.
The fleeing hunters again found
trail about eight miles onward in Ok
ford-leading southwark towards settle
lments they did not determine the numbe
of the tracks precisely, but thought then
about the same as before. The pre-
sumption must be that the tracks wer
Imade by the same company on tn
Tourney down some days previously
lWhen the party from Shows CAM
reached Umbagog it tarried for other
who had gone as was supposed to tn
u Kennebec, but Mr.. Holmes gives II
idea how many, but implies it was dl
vision from this party. The opinion o
the hunters was inexact regarding tn
second trail, but required seven, perhap
more, and would indicate that two o
three had left and gone eastward befor
the main body sought New Gloucestel
By this reckoning the whole band fror
Canada would number seven or eigh
Those marauding parties are known t