Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise., 1925-06-06

trce, with a crew of thirteen men.
Soon after Claiborne's ship had en-
tered the Pocomoke the two vessels
fitted out by Governor Calvert made
their way into the river and began to
pursue the Cockatrice. "The quiet
of the scene was broken by the hoarse
voice of conflict, and four dying men
three Virginians and one Maryland
ed-dyed the dark waters darker with
their blood" There upon the bosom
of the little Pocomoke, with marshes
upon the right and left and patches of
wild flowers covering the banks the
red men saw their first naval battle.
The Mary,a ships were the victors
but still later on Claiborne's men won
in battle fought at the mouth of the
Pocomoke May 10, 1886.
When the Europeans first came up
the river they found many Indian viii
lagos on it's banks. There are two
permanent ones that we have record
of ,one, known as Shelltown, was sit
uated near the mouth of the river. 1t
is thought that it was here that Smith
obtained his puddle" water. Traces
of these villages are found all along
the banks, for great piles of oyster
SHELLS are seen deposited ten to fifteen
feet in thickness where the Indians
had left them. The other village a
bove Snow Hill is still called Indian
town. It's Indian name was Askimmi
kons. On Herman's map of 1910 it
appeared to be a place of some size,
undoubtedly the largest Indian set
tlement on the Pocomoke, and built on
both sides of the river.
The Indians of this section were of
the tribe of Nanticokes known as
Lenni-Lennaps, which signifed "man-
~ man." They were fishing Indians
and much less cruel or warlike than
the hunting tribes of the North and
West. The Eastern Shore Indians
were not given to scalping and tor
turing their enemies. They had no
Intoxicating drink and at first they
were against the use of "fire water"
altho' afterwards drunkenness became
q prevalent vice with them.
The red men of the Eastern Shore
have faded from the earth and with
them their language. Smith wrote Of
them as speaking another language
from the rest; and very rude All
the Worcester Indians were small of
statue in comparison with the western
red men. They were always protect
ed in their rights by the early set
tiers of Worcester. 1t was the wish
of all to bring peace and justice to
the race that reigned the lands of the
Pocomoke before they had settled
there themselves. The Indians were
protected by the colonial county Off
cials, they were given a fair hearing
before the courts, and their wrongs
were carefully redressed Horrible
stories were told of murders commit
ted upon the whites by the red men
of the Western Shore, but the Indians
lived as brothers among the new set
tiers of Worcester. Many accepted
the Christian faith and as a result
marriages between the blood of the
Nanticokes and the blood of England
were common occurrences. Frequent
ly the black eyes of the Christianized
savage dwelt in love upon the pale
faced daughter of Europe. The In
dians of the Eastern Shore and the
colonists from across the sea were as
one for often white hands prepared
for the original proprietor of the soil
his own pone and hominy.
Some of the Indians fingered here
until 1855, about that time Lancaster,
Pennsylvania was burned by the
French and Indians. 1t was feared
that all Indians that remained East
would find it unsafe, so committee
of colonists went to Indian Town
where remnant of the Nanticoke
tribe still lived to induce them to leave
the State. Supplies were offered for
the journey to New York, but they
answered with one voice that they
were born here and here they would
die. Finally however, they departed.
The last picture we have of them is
passing over the border bearing the
bones of their dead. They are said
to have faded away rapidly.
One of the oldest white settlements
made on the Pocomoke was in 1910.
Colonel Stevens "a great land holder
and counsellor of Lord Baltimore, |
started ferry across the river. This
ferry was the center of business for
this whole section of the country, in
Guiding both Worcester and Somerset.
Shortly after the erection of the fer
ry New England trader came up the