Norwich bulletin., 1921-01-10
ODD INCIDENTS IN AMERICAN
 TORY
rh. Ma,.ner, of peern.ld.

One of the most atrocious massaeres in the early part of the eighteenth century was that at Deerfeld. Mass, on February 2s, 1704 when the French and Indians attacked that settlement, murder ed many of the inhabitants and carried many others away into captivity.
 Deerfield stood ,on a plateau above the river meadows in the western part of the state, and was village of forty one houses. In the center of the village was a small. square meeting house about which were several block houses. With in the fort lived some of the principal inhabitants of the place. including John Williams, the minister. He, was married and had eight children, one of whom was absent at the time of the massacre.
 On the night when RodviIle and his band lay hidden among the pines, there were in all in the settlement a little less than three hundred souls, of whom two hundred and sixty-eight were in habitants, twenty were yeopen soldiers of the garrison, two were visitors from Hatheld, and three were colored slaves.
 Heavy snows had fallen and the river had been frozen to three feet. The in- habitants of DeeFheld had retired early on the eventful night The French and
 Indians crept silently upon the place about two hours before dawn, when the war-whoop was given and the besiegers
 assailed the doors of the houses with axes and hatchets. The minister was awakened and in springing out of bed he saw dhnly a crowd of savages burst ing through the shattered door.
 Amid the screams of his children, three of the party seized Williams and bound him fast, while others killed two of the children and a colored woman a ri all jams, his wife and five remaining chil. dren to dress themselves. Meanwhile | other Indians and their allies burst into
 nest of the houses, killed such of tho men as resisted, putchered some of tho women and children, and seized and bound the rest. Some of the villagers es eaped in the confusion.
 Some of the inhabitants resisted and
 barTicaded themselves within their hous.
 es. When the enemy tried 10 break
 in they drove them back with loss. StiI
 the firing continued. The Indians had
 some difficulty in mastering the house oi
 Ensign John Sheldon, for the door bEins
 of thick oak plank, and well barred, the1 could not break it open. After a time | however, they hacked hole in if through which they fired and killed Mrs Sheldon as she sat on the edge of q
 bed, soR,, John Sheldon, esca ped from an upper window, and ran to Hatfield fo, aid. The Indians soon got in at the bacs door. seized Mercy Sheldon, a little Eir | of two years, and dashed out her brain, | on the door stone. Her two brothers
 and her sister, Mary, were captured. Tn, house was a short time used as a de. pot for prisoners and here also was brought the French officer wounded IF the attack on the Stebb!ns house.
 The sun was scarcely an hour hief when the captiyes we're conducted aoros,
 the Fiver- to the flot of a high hill In
 the party was Williams and his house
 was set on fire. Early in the attank, ana while 1t vas yet dark. the light of burn. ing houses reflected from the fields of snow had heen seen at nearby villages The alarm was sounded, and parties oi
 men, mounted on farm horses, hasten ec
 to the rescue When the sun was about i've hours high between thirty and fort,
 of them were gathered In the fortified
 house of Jonathan Wells, which was al.
 So full of refugees.
 The number of captiyes carried on
 were one hundred and eleven. The shei.
 don houss vas fired when the Frencl
 and Indians were driven out of the vii age, put the ire wes extinguished. and
 the old Indian house" as it was called
 stood till the year 1s49. Its door. deep. | ly scared with hatchets and with a holt elt in the middle, is stiIl n-sseryed ir the meHeFial hall at Deerfsla
 The Sheldon house and the cFxIrcl were the only two buildings in DeerfieIt
 that were not destroyed by Are Of tn, ] inhabitants forty seven were killed auc