Norwich bulletin., 1921-05-04
ODD INCIDENTS IN AMERIcAS
 HISTORY
THE ECCENTRIC SIR VILLA

THE ECCENTRIC S1h WILLIAM
 JOHNSON.
 One of the most interesting characters in the pre-Revolutionary history of our country was. Sir William Johnson, an Irishman by birth, descendant of a family ancient and honorable in its alliances, who came to America in 1738 to superin- tend the large farm of his uncle in New York state, and later to figure prominent
 y in Indian affairs in that state.
 He early amassed a large fortune in America in fur trading, and in 1746 be- came the active agency in the Indian de- partment of public affairs. Through fa- miharity with the language and manners of the Mohawk tribe of Indians, he now assumed their garb. mingled with them as one of their own people, was adopted as member of their nation, and was in- vested with the rank of a war chief. Johnson persuaded many of the young Indian warriors to take up arms against the French. and from time to time he himself was on the warpath. He built i for himself in the Mohawk valley one of i the finest mansions in the province out side of New York. Here Sir William ! lived in all the elegance and comparative power of an English baron of the middle ages. He had many servants and retain CTS, wives and concubine. sons and l
 Sir William is said to have been the | father of a hundred children. chiefly by native mothers, many of whom were young squaws. He had, however two legitimate wives. Simms says, on the au- l thority of well authenticated tradition, that his first wife was a young German girl who. according to the custom of the | times, had been sold to a man named Phillips, living in the Mohawk valley, to pay her passage money to the captain of
 the emigrant ship in which she came to
 this country.
 She was handsome girl and attracted
 considerable attention. A neighbor of Sil William, who had heard him express a
 determination never to marry, asked hin
 why he did not get the pretty German gir
 for housekeeper. He replied: T will
 Not long afterward the neighbor called
 at Phillips and inquired where the Dutct
 girl was. Phillips replied: Johnson came
 the other day and offered me fl | pounds
 for her. threatening to hcrsewhip me anG
 steal her if I would not sell her thought five pounds better than a fogginl
 and took it, and he's got the gal'
 This wife was the mother of Sir ,Johr
 Johnson, who became prominent in New , York affairs. as well as two daughters , who became the wives respectively of Gl1y Johnson and Daniel Claus. After tn,
 death of this wife her place was supplied
 by Molly Brant pretty sister of in,
 Mohawk sachem, by whom Ee had sev
 eral children. Towards the close of he
 life Sir William married her in order t,
 legitimine her children, and her descend ants are now some of the most prorrin eu ) people in Canada.
 Sir Williams first interview and ac ? quaintance with her, as related by MI Stone in his Life of Brant, have consid Q erable romance. She was 16 years of az ' and very sprightly when he first saw he ? at military muster. One of the fiei
 officers, riding upon a fine horse, cam
 near her, and by way of banter she aske i permission to mount behind. Not sun
 posing she could perform the exploit. h . | said she might. At the word she leape q upon the crupper with agility of a gazell, ''The horse sprang off at full speet II and, clinging to the officer, her blanke ' flying and her dark hair streaming in th . wind, she few about the parade groun as swift as an arrow" The baronet. wb Q was witness of the spectacle, admire :. the spirit of the young squaw, and, bt r coming enamored of her, took her hom
 as his wife. According to Indian CHS if toms, this act made her really his wifi Ia and in all her relations of wife an d mother she was very exemplary
 if Sir Williams mansion was always tt I resort of the sachems of the Six Natior ,e for counsel and for trade. and there u to presents sent out by his government weI ,e annually distributed to the Indians. C ,e these occasions he amused himself ar e- grati1ed his guests by fetes and game
 many of which were highly 1udicrou .a Young Indians and squaws were oft, te seen running foot races or wrestling f e. trinkets, and feats of agility were fir m quently performed by the Indians of bo s sexes.
 ,e Sir Williams death was sudden and # some was ascribed to poison voluntari S. taken by him, and by others to apopleS
 induced by over-excitement His posse h. sions, which, with his offices and tit1, I passed into the hands of his son, did n n- remain long undisturbed. but were aba