The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1930-10-03
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er does not seem to have had any de-
sire to follow in his fathers footsteps.
He began the study of stenography
| and became an adept at writing short
hand, taking down sermons at Saint
| Sepulchre's church and speeches in
the star chamber, the awesome and
| terrible court at Westminster hall,
where offenders against the crown
were summarily and secretly tried for
| their crimes.
Williams talent attracted the atten-
ton of Sir Edward Coke, the great
| judge and leader of the PuritanS, who
saw to it that the boy was admitted
to the Charter house school. In 1926
he received his degree from Pembroke
college, Cambridge, and became chap
lain in the country house of Sir Will
liam Masham. Naturally free think
er, he allied himself with the most ex-
IRENE of the Puritans. Belief in the
separation of church and state pre-
vented his taking a parish in England
and he resolved to come to America.
He arrived in Boston on February 5,
1881. but soon found that he was no
better off in New England than in Old
England. So he went to Plymouth,
the pioneer settlement.
Plymouth had separated itself from
all churches, even including the par
ent one at Leyden,' from which the
| Pilgrim Fathers had sailed. But he
would not hold the office Of pastor.
He only exercised by way of proph-
ecy." as was said in those days, and
wrought hard at the hoe for my
| bread" as he said himself. Afterward
| Salem proved more amenable, and he
went there, though he was still anath-
ema at Boston. The Plymouth peo-
Pile could not agree with his strange
| opinions" one of which was so strange
| as that 'the King had no right to give
| away lands in America that belonged
| not to him but to the Indians"
AT Salem he was repeatedly sum-
moned and finally banished, and the
sentence was never repealed. 1t was
| determined to send him to England,
| and pinnace was sent to arrest him ;
| but" says the old chronicle, when
| they came to his house they found he
had been gone three days before,
whittier they could not learn" He
had taken a kindly tip from his friend
Gov. John Winthrop, and was headed
for the country of the Narragansetts.
towards the South.
1t was in January, 1886, that Roger
| Williams was compelled to leave his
wife and babies and tramp through the
| snow-covered forests. He was saved
through the aid Of Indians toward
whom he had ever assumed kindly
| and generous attitude.
| Chief Massasoit Of the Pokanoket
Indians gave him a tract of land on
Seekonk river, where he was joined
| by old friends from Salem, and a set
Element started. But upon receiving
friendly hints that complications were
liable to arise with the Plymouth col
ony, he moved to the present site of
Providence, R. l., and in June, 1886,
| started the settlement that was des-
tined to become the state Of Rhode Is
land, the smallest state in the Union,
but one which has had one of the most
remarkable histories of them all. The
friends. Canonicus and Miantonomo,
sachems of the Narragansetts.
Williams soon had a chance to re-
turn good for evil for such was his
influence over the Narragansetts that
he easily prevailed upon this powerful
tribe not to join the Pequots under
Sassacus in their plan to destroy all
the English settlements in that part
of the country.
Williams, in 1888, assisted John
| Clarke an5 William Coddington in pur-
chasing Aquidneck, or Rhode Island,
the Indians were not swindled but lib
orally paid for their holdings.
In fact such was the reputation
which he gained among the red men
for fair dealing that his influence
over them lasted probably longer than
that of any other white man ever has.
A curious story is that of the attack
on Providence i'm King Phillips War,
in 1876. Williams, who was captain
of the Train Band of Providence, went
out to meet the Indians, hut all he
did was to try and persuade them to
go away. she could not move them ;
but they assured him that he would
never be harmed by them"
In 1913 he went TO England and OBJ
tanned the charter for the Providence
and Rhode Island settlements. While
there he blossomed forth as an author
Of some of the "bes, sellers" produc-
ing key Into Language of America. "
"The Blody Tenet of Persecution for