Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1913-12-05

peace. But the raid of the Tories
and Indians was made and the little
movable property of the settlers was
carried away or destroyed, their rude
dwellings burned, the men made pris-
oners and the women and children were
left destitute. These defenceless crea-
lures took refuge in an out door cellar
belonging to one of the burned houses
where they lived for ten days on few
potatoes left by the enemy. They
were discovered by some American
soldiers and taken to Pittsford In
1856 handsome monument was erected
over the site of this cellar by some of
their descendants. The inscription on
the monument gives the above story
mentioning the names.
The town of Addison, because of its
nearness to the lake and the forts, was
especially liable to visits from the
Indians and Tories. Although through
the policy of some of the leading men
of the Grants the British had been in
duced to treat the settlers on the east
| side of the lake with mildness and had
forbidden the Indians to modest them,
| yet their savageness was ready to
burst forth on the slightest provoca-
ton. So much was this the case that
| if party of Indians made their ap-
pearance when the men were absent
the women allowed them to help them
selves to whatever they liked.
The following stories are concerning
Mrs. Strong, whose home was near
the shore of the lake:
At one time party of Indians came
in while Mrs. Strong was alone. They
first took the cream from the milk and
rubbed it on their faces; then rubbed
SCOT on their hands, painted themselves
in all the hideousness of war paint
and sang the war song with whoop and
dances. Just as they were leaving one
of them discovered a snowy, short,
colored gown, that Mrs. Strong's hus-
band had just made her a present of.
This the Indian took and putting it on
seemed greatly delighted and with yells
they departed.
One morning in June Mrs. Strong
went to spring a few rods from the
house on the banks of the lake. She
heard the dip of paddle in the water
and saw canoe filled with Indians. A
pole was fastened upright in the bow
and on the top of the pole was the scalp
of a little girl ten years old. Her
flaXen curls stirred in the breeze while
streams of clotted blood showed that it
was placed there while still warm and
bleeding. She thought she recognized
it as the hair of beautiful child of
dear friend who lived on the other side
of the lake. She saw other scalps at
tached to their waist lines, while two
other conoes further out in the Jake had
the same terrible banner in their bows.
The Indians on seeing her made signs as
though they would scalp her. During
the day she learned that the friends on
the other side of the lake had all been
massacred and scalped, six in number,
and their house burned
The morning previous to the taking
of Crown Point by General Burgoyne,
Mrs. Strong was sitting at the break
fast table when a neighbor came run
ming in to tell her that the Indians were
coming and all must fee Her two
Oldest sons were away hunting for
strayed cattle and her husband had one
TO Rutland to get meat supplies for the
American forces at Iiconderoga and
Crown Point. Mrs. Strong was in very
feeble health, but was the only one to
plan for the safety of her children. She
tied the baby on the back of the eldest
daughter and started them off for the
point where the boats were waiting
which would carry the people to safety.
She, herself would have been left if a
horseman had not found her and carried
her to the lake in time for her to catch
the last boat. The boats went to
Whitehall and here her sons joined her
later. Mr.. Strong, after an experience
with the Indians, found her by chance
in Dorset, Vermont.
Mr.. Strong's adventure with the
Indians reads this way: Hearing that
Bourgoyne had taken Crown Point, he
left his cattle in Brandon and FASTENED
home. He was surrounded by more
than two hundred savages while near
the lake across from the forts. A Tory
had learned that he was expected home
with cattle and had got the assistance
of this band to intercept him. The tory
was mad with rage on learnin2 that the
cattle were out of his reach and would
have liked to XII Mr.. Strong on the
Strong stopped him. Mr.. Strong was
bound and taken to the fort, but was
paroled later.
After the capture of Bourgoyne,
Lieutenant Benjamin Everest was in
Addison looking after his fathers
property. He was taken captive by
some Indians and had a narrow escape.
While the Indians were skating he
asked if he might try, and at first fell
down frequently to show that the
skates were new to him. But when
most of the Indians had taken off their
skates he skated away to the north
But unluckily there was a wide crack
clear across the lake. The Indians
realizing his predicament closed up on
him. There was nothing else to do so
he jumped and luckily reached the other
edge. The Indians did not dare try the
leap.
Such hardships did our sturdy New
England ancestors endure while trying
| to make homes for Themselves