Norwich bulletin., 1917-06-15

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 Fl IG4Sp4er<hAs been. ,apPcfrke6 chair EEnzn Of the membership decoration ecoUxdftee of the MoheZAn Trail open EEg celebration to be held on June 22; eaEangemenfs for the decorations fThey will provide &h0 In61an head edress, the tomahaw&s, badges and the American flags for the members of kthe chamber of commerce of this city. EThese are to be distributed to the smEmbers just before the local autono- E1dIe parade starts.
 One of the interesting places along the line laid ont for the auto parade Us East Great Plain. the scene of the battle between the forces of Uncas and Miantonomo.
 The following have been appointed
 grounds committed: Charles A Eagberg, chairman, w. A. A1cott, Ar thur G. Jenkins. ". Bode, C. 4. Spier.
 Walter Block. P. Ambrose Sullivan. Weston Pullen-
 With the disappearance Of blazing Star in the western heavens as % lserved in England In 1519 came the tprediction of notable and stirring teven1s which would include the de Fs-uction of many natives in that sec stion of the earth This forecast was fpernaps fulfTled in the defeat and al-
 most complete ann1hilation of the
 PeQuot Indians of Connecticut by Major John Mason and his valiant faftt1s band in 163T- This warffke tribe,
 whose territory was embraced within the present limits of New London, fGroton and Stonington, but whose ldirefu influence extended far beyond f1aoSe boundaries, dominated many or frihe native tribes of New England and thssd even the powerful NzzTraEansetts kan check On the defeat of Sassacus land his Pequot followers. Miantonomo' k-he great sachem of the Narragansetts, Szspired to the supremacy formerly so Hong enjoyed by the deposed despot, fsTis ambition being to unite the In adzans of New England into a powerful sconfedeTacy, of which he was to be @the head The preliminary step for Mrhe accomplishment of his purpose was
 the subjecdon of Urcas. the chief Of the Gdohegans, who now claimed the
 territory of the PequotS by right of conquest and who had materially in- creased his force of fighting men.
 Affanbonomo. having secretly raised sz1 armed force, amounting probably to e+E9aundred warriors, marched against
 the Afohegans- He expected to take them by surprise, the season being that in which they were usually busy in their cornfields or engaged in fish ing. and he might reasonably andci- pate a brilliant victory. But Uncas
 was a wary chieftain; his partisans were at that very time abroad, and he tsoon received information of the move 1nsnts Of his enemies. The tradition
 E that the Nara gansettS were first discovered as they were crossing the Shetucket as a fording place near the Junction Of the QIIinebaug- The Mo saagzns had a lookout post Wau- --ecus Hin Gin Norwich cfty>, which hi1f was long afterwards known as Fort HiH and it is not unlikely that the spies who discovered the approach of 5he invaders might have belonged to a scouting party stationed there. A pzfh. afterwards w3dened to a road by T7e English settlers, led from this rai11 to. the Little Plain, where was the
 burial ground of the Mohegan Sa- schems- A cleft or ravine from this spot once the bed of a rtvuiet came nut directly by the Indian landing place at the foot Of Yantic Falls, from whence a canoe could glide 1n a few minutes to EhsntoI< Point five miles below, where Uncas had a fort Tn this way the intelligence may have been-comuunicated to the sacheIn with great rapfd1ty-
 Unczs assembled his warriors to the number of three or four hundred and boldly advanced to meet the foe. When he reached what Is called the Great P1ain. three or four miles from his TJr5ncipaI settlement, and a mile and a half southwest of the Yantic, he tsarned that the Narraganset1s had crossed the lords Of the Yantic Cat down upon him. He innm edaa<ely halt cd arranged his men a rising ground and made them acquainted with a strategem the effect of which Ll6 NSdS aDOuL lO pTON6. ne n0lu scarcely given his warriors instruc- tons how to act before the NaIragan- sstS appeared on opposite declevi- Ey- Uncas sent forward a messenger, desiring a barley with MiaBtonomo, which was granted and the two chiefs met on the plain. between their re- FpecdTe armies Uncas then proposed that the fortune of the day should be decided by themselves in single com bat Eud the lives of their warriors spared His proposition was thus ex- pressed: Let us two fight 1t out: if you kill me, my men shall be yocrs; hut if kin you, your men shall be rnine'
 Anantomono. who seems to have suspected some crafty manoeuvre, in this unusual proposition, replied dis dzanfuIly: My men came to fight. and they shall fight" Uncas immediately gave a preconcerted signal to his fol- lovers, by falling fiat upon his face 10 the ground. They, being all pre- pared with bent bows instantly dis charged a shower of arrows upon the enemy and. raising the battle yell, rushed forward with their tomahawlzs, their chieftain starting up and leading the onset The Nara gansetts. who were carelessIy awaiting the result of the conference, and not expecting that the MoheSans would venture to fight E1 all with such inferior force, were taken by surprise; and after a short and confused attempt at resistance, were put to flight. The fugitives and IneE puFSueTS- Wltn 0eSpalr1ng cries i and triumphant shouts. crossed the river at the shadows and swept like a ] ~hiT1Tind over the hills, regardless of tangled forests, rushing torrents and preGpitous }edges of rock, directing their course to the we'll known lords Of the Shetucket
 Two of the Nohegan captains who were very swift of foot singled out Mian1cnomo and pursued him with relentless pertinacfty. He had nearly reached the river when they overlook him he being encumbered and retard- ed, f. Is said, by a coat or corslet of rns1. Throwing themselves against him. they impeded his motion, and when the chief recovered Sim7e1f, xe- peated the act continuing thus to ob- sU1ct his flight, but not attempting to Esize him, that Uncas might come LID ard have the honor of his captuFN>