USA > Rhode Island > Newport County > History of Newport County, Rhode Island. From the year 1638 to the year 1887, including the settlement of its towns, and their subsequent progress > Part 79
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"The Indians still insulting and threatening the English people, they became more cantions and watchfnl over them. Abont this time or perhaps not long after, Ninicraft himself came over to visit this part of his dominions, as these islanders were his subjects, but his own seat was on the mainland over against them, and there came with him a number of his chief men with many others, which gave the English new grounds of suspicion, fearing what might be their design, as they were drinking, dancing and reveling after their usual customs at such
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times. Wherenpon the English went to parley with them and to know what their intentions were. The before-mentioned James Sands, who was the leading man among them, entered into a wigwam where he saw a very fine brass gun standing and an Indian fellow lying on a bench in the wigwam, probably to guard and keep it. Mr. Sands' curiosity led him to take and view it, as it made a curious and uncommon appearance. Upon which the Indian fellow rising up hastily and snatches the gun ont of his hand, and withal gave such a violent thrust with the butt end of it as occasioned him to stagger backward. But feeling something under his feet he espied it to be a hoe, which he took up and improved and with it fell upon the Indian, upon which a mighty scuffle ensned, the English and Indians on the outside of the wigwam closing one with another; which proba- bly would have issued in the destruction of the whole English party, as they were but a handful in comparison with the In- dians into whose hands they seem to have fallen, had not God, by a remarkable instance of his power, prevented it. For in the time of this tumult and impending tragedy, Ninicraft, who was at that time on the Island, was retired into a hot house; there ran a messenger from the company and acquainted him with the affair upon which he came with all haste and running into the wigwam took a scarlet covered coat and brought it out, swinging it around among the people as they were scuffling, and cries, 'King Charles! King Charles" intimating thereby that as they were all King Charles' subjects they ought not to contend; which broke up the fray and they became peaceable and friendly together for that time. This coat and gun were likely sent by King Charles to Ninicraft, to engage his fidelity and friendship more strongly to the English.
"Another instance of the remarkable interposition of Provi- dence in the preservation of these few English people in the midst of a great company of Indians: the attempt was strange and not easily to be accounted for, and the event was as strange. The Indians renewing their insults with threatening speeches and offering smaller abuses, the English, fearing the conse- quences resolved these sixteen men and one boy to make a for- mal challenge to fight this great company of Indians, near or full out three hundred, in open pitched battle and appointed the day for this effort. Accordingly when the day came the before mentioned Mr. Terry living on a neck of land remote from
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the other English inhabitants, just as he was coming out of his house in order to meet them, saw thirty Indians with their guns very bright as though they were fitted for war. He inquired from whence they came. They replied from Narragansett; and that they were Ninicraft's men. He asked their business. They said to see their relations and friends. And for what reason had they brought their guns ? They replied they knew not what game they might meet with in their way. He told them that they must not carry their guns any farther but deliver them to him; and when they returned he would deliver them back to them safely. To which they consented and he secured them in his house, and withal told them they must stay there until he had got past the fort; as he was to go by it within gunshot be- tween two ponds. The Indians accordingly all sat down very quietly, but staid not long after him: for he had no sooner passed by the fort but the Indians made their appearance on a hill in a small neck of land called by the English Indian-head- neck. And the reason of its being so called was because when the English came there they found two Indians' heads stuck upon poles standing there-whether they were traitors or cap. tives I know not. When they at the fort saw those thirty In- dians that followed Mr. Terry they made a mighty shout; but Mr. Terry had as I observed, just passed by it.
" However, the English, as few as they were resolved to pur- sue their design, and accordingly marched with their drum beating up a challenge (Their drummer was Mr. Kent, after of Swansey) and advanced within gun-shot of it. as far as the water would admit them, as it was on an island in a pond near to and in plain sight of the place of my nativity. Thither they came, with utmost resolution and war like courage and mag- animity standing the Indians to answer their challenge. Their drummer being a very active and sprightly man and skilful in the business, that drum, under the overruling power of Prov- idence, was the best piece of their armor. The Indians were dispirited to that degree that they made no motions against them. The English after inquired of them of the reason of their refusing to fight with them when they had so openly and so near their fort made them such a challenge. They declared that the sound of the drum terrified them to that degree that they were afraid to come against them. From this time the In- dians became friendly to the English; and ever after. In this
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instance also God appeared for the defence of this small nuni- ber of English people in their beginnings; for it was not the rattling, roaring sound of the drum, which doubtless they had heard before this time, but Divine Sovereignty made this a means to intimidate them and restrain their cruel and barbarous dispositions."
In addition to the troubles experienced from the Indians the inhabitants of Block Island suffered from repeated invasions made by French privateers during the war between France and England. The invasion by William Trimmings was very dis- astrous to the island. This lawless navigator entered the har- bor in July, 1689, with a fleet composed of a bark, a barge, a large sloop and a small one, and represented himself as George Austin, a noted English privateer. His men first captured the soldiers on the island, and after imprisoning them in James Sands' house, made a general pillage of the island. They re- mained on the island about a week, killing cattle, plundering houses, stripping people of their clothing, bedding, etc., and impoverishing the inhabitants in various other ways. A part of this fleet was afterward captured by the colonies, and Trim- mings himself was killed on Fisher's island, to which he had been pursued.
A second visit was made to the island during the same year, this time in the night. Mr. Samuel Niles, who was a sufferer at the hands of these privateers, wrote of it as follows: "I sup. pose I was the greatest sufferer of any under their hands at that time: for before I had dressed myself one of their company rushed into the chamber where I lodged. Being alone, without any of his company, not knowing what dangers might befal him, on a sudden, and with a different air, he says to me. . Go down, you dog.' To which I replied, . Presently, as soon as I have put on my stockings and shoes.' At which, with the muz- zle of his gun he gave me a violent thrust at the pit of my stomach, that it threw me back on the bed, as I was sitting on the bed-side, so that it was some time before I could recover my breath. He drew his entlass and beat me with all his power, to the head of the stairs, and it was a very large chamber. He followed me down the stairs, and then bound my hands behind me with a sharp, small line, which soon made my hands swell and become painful."
A third demonstration of the kind occurred on a Sunday.
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The inhabitants fled immediately to the woods for safety. The stay of the invaders this time was short, as they soon saw the English man-of war. under command of Captain Dobbins, ap- proaching.
On the 1st of June, 1706, a Captain Walker was approaching the island with a cargo of provisions from Connecticut, when he saw a French privateer pursuing. He ran his vessel ashore and alarmed the inhabitants, who, by beat of the drum, mustered about a hundred men in a few hours, and they took two sloops and under command of Major Wanton went out to meet the privateer, put her to flight, pursued her, and on the next day captured her with twenty-seven men on board.
On the 18th of April, 1717, a strange sloop of the largest class anchored in the bay. After the crew came ashore and laid in a fresh supply, they returned to their vessel. Just before weigh- ing anchor they kidnapped three men from the island, George Mitchell, William Tosh and Doctor James Sweete, and took them away with them. It is not known what ever became of those men. It is supposed that the sloop belonged to the noted pirate, Captain Kidd.
For a period of about twenty-five years the distressed inhab- itants of Block island thus had their homes invaded and their houses demolished by lawless bands of pirates, against whom they were powerless to defend themselves, or to obtain redress for the nseless and wanton destruction of their property and peril of their lives.
During the revolutionary period the islanders suffered more than at any former time. No other place was exposed to greater dangers. Yet the little colony, without the pale of protection, put its property, lives and sacred honor on its country's altar, and heroically waded through that bitter struggle.
In August, 1775, the Rhode Island assembly passed an act that took from the island all the cattle and sheep (about 2,000 in all) not needed there for immediate sustenance, and a large company of men to secure the stock until it could be brought off. The assembly ordered again, in February, 1776, that the sheep and cattle and firearms should be brought away from the island. The object of this was to prevent their being seized by the enemy. The execution of the order was not prompt enough, however, for as Joseph Dennison 2d, was transporting the cat-
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tle and arms in the schooner " Folly," all were captured by the British.
About this time the colony sent Jonathan Hazard to the island with instructions to "earnestly exhort the inhabitants to remove from the island." This was immediately followed by an act forbidding them to land on the Rhode Island coast ex- cept to become citizens on the main under penalty of fine and imprisonment. Rev. S. T. Livermore, in his history of the island, continues this subject as follows : "This was the result of a military necessity, as it could not be protected by her, and as its resources left there would have been captured by the en- emy and the island, as stated in the bill of excommunication, was 'entirely in the power of the enemy.' The fish-lines and samp-mortars, hand-cards and spinning-wheels were left to the islanders. Cut off from groceries, from mechanic shops, from four mills, from all markets, and left to the mercy of an enemy whose ships were constantly hovering around her shores, the little isolated colony braved the terrors of the situation as nobly as any band of Spartans found upon the pages of history. We have no record of a murmur from their lips against the mother colony, nor of an act that indicates a regret of their patriotic offering of their all upon the altar of liberty. But their situa- tion, painful in the extreme, heroically endured, was too pitiful for endurance on the mainland, and it awakened the deepest sympathies from the parent colony, whose assembly relaxed its stringency, and allowed, in 1777, a limited communication to be resumed. The last act of colonial severity toward the island was in February, 1779, and that act fell upon the already scathed and isolated few like the crash of a thunderbolt, whose force was partially spent upon Waite Saunders, Thomas Carpenter and Peleg Hoxie, as they were arrested for 'having carried on an illicit commerce with the inhabitants of New Shoreham,' i. e., Block Island. Their conviction would of course implicate also the islanders, of whom 'William Gorton, Robert Champ- lin, John Cross, Samuel Taylor, Simon Littlefield, Joseph Sands, John Paine, Stephen Franklin, Edward Sands and Robert Cong- don,' were summoned to appear immediately before the assem- bly, 'upon the penalty of $150 lawful money each, for non- appearance.' Whether these principal men of the island were convicted of participating in said .illicit commerce,' or what the result of the investigation was, we have not been able to
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ascertain. No doubt there were some upon the island whose extremities made them yield to the temptations of British bribes, and for this reason, in one of its preambles, the general assem- bly of Rhode Island made this record : 'Whereas, the said town of New Shoreham hath been for a long time, and still is, within the power and jurisdiction of the enemies of the United States, whereby they obtain, in consequence of the evil practices aforesaid, supplies for theuiselves, and intelligence from time to time of the situation of our troops, posts and shores ; by which means they are enabled to make freqnent incursions, and thereby commit devastations upon, and rob the innocent inhabitants of their property, and deprive them of their subsistence; where- l'ore, Be it enacted,' &c.
"Suspicions were sharpened against the islanders in Septem- ber, 1779, when a British vessel was captured by an American privateer, and whom should our brave sailors find upon the decks of their prize but two Block Islanders-John Rose aud Frederick Willis ! They were arrested by the sheriff, delivered to Col. Christopher Greene, and by him passed over to Maj. Gen. Gates to be treated as prisoners of war. In May of 1779, Stephen Franklin, an islander, was arraigned before the general assembly for complicity with the British, and passed over to Gen. Gates to be tried as a spy."
Perhaps no history would be fairly complete without some narration of that wonderful story of the ship "Palatine" and the "phantom ship," of which so much has been thought, said and heard, and perhaps seen.
Sometime during the early years of the eighteenth century a ship named the "Palatine" left Holland for America, with a large number of emigrants on board, who intended to settle somewhere in Pennsylvania. The passengers also had with them a considerable amount of value in money and other arti- cles, with which they intended to purchase land and establish themselves in their new homes. The officers of the ship, at- tracted by the amount of treasure on board, formed a conspiracy for the purpose of securing it. They accordingly kept the ship at sea for many weeks, and having possession of all the provis- ions on board, starved the passengers to the extremity of pay- ing extortionate prices for every article of food they required to use. "Twenty guilders for a cup of water, and fifty rix-dol- lars for a ship's biscuit soon reduced the wealth of the most
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opulent among them, and completely impoverished the poor(er) ones."
Death by starvation actually put an end to the terrible suf- ferings of many, and others were reduced to such extremes of emaciation and disease that they never recovered. Finally, when the ship had become a pandemonium and a pest house, the officers, having secured all the treasure they could make way with, deserted the ship and left her to drift upon the high seas with her helpless passengers wherever the winds and the waves might toss her.
The ship finally struck on Sandy Point, on a Sunday morn- ing about Christmas time, and the island wreckers made their way aboard of her. Sixteen living persons were rescued, being all that were alive except one woman, who positively refused to leave the ship. Although the wants of those brought ashore were carefully administered to, all but three of them died, two of them remaining on the island for several years, and from whom the terrible story of the fate of ship and passengers was learned. As the tide rose around the ship, it became evident that in spite of all efforts to hold her there, she would drift off, and as a last resort to frighten the lone woman on board to come ashore. the ship was set on fire, but even this failed of its ob- ject, and it is said, "she obstinately maintained her place be- side her valuables while the .Palatine' drifted away into the gloom and darkness of the stormy night."
"Over the rocks and seething brine, They burned the wreck of the Palatine."
Superstition and human credulity have associated a singular light which is seen at irregular intervals off the shore of this island with the event just narrated, picturing the unexplained light as the phantom of the burning " Palatine " which is ever drifting upon the open sea. always burning but never consumed. And as she drifts, at long intervals she appears to the vision of the islanders off the western coast, and they
" Behold again with shimmer and shine, Over the rocks and seething brine, The flaming wreck of the Palatine."
The following description of this singular light is given in a private letter written December 10th, 1811, by Doctor Aaron C. Willey, a well known resident physician of Block Island who
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had enjoyed two different opportunities of viewing the phe- nomenon :
" This curious irradiation rises from the ocean near the northi- ern point of the island. Its appearance is nothing different from a blaze of fire: whether it actually touches the water, or merely hovers over it, is uncertain, for I am informed that no person has been near enough to decide accurately. It beams with various magnitude, and appears to bear no more analogy to the ignis fatuus than it does to the aurora borealis. Sometimes it is small, resembling the light through a distant window; at others, expanding to the height of a ship with all her canvas spread. When large it displays either a pyramidical form, or three constant streams. In the latter case, the streams are somewhat blended together at the bottom, but separate and distinct at the top, while the middle one rises rather higher than the other two. It may have the same appearance when small, but owing to distance and surrounding vapors, cannot be clearly perceived. This light often seems to be in a con- stant state of mutation; decreasing by degrees, it becomes in- visible, or resembles a lucid point, then shining anew, some- times with a sudden flare, at others by a gradual increasement to its former size. Often the mutability regards the lustre only, becoming less and less bright until it disappears, or nothing but a pale outline can be discerned of its full size, then resum- ing its full splendor in the manner before stated. The duration of its greatest and least state of illumination is not commonly more than three minutes; this inconstancy, however, does not appear in every instance.
"After the radiance seems to be totally extinct, it does not always return in the same place, but is not infrequently seen shining at some considerable distance from where it dis- appeared. In this transfer of locality it seems to have no certain line of direction. When most expanded, this blaze is generally wavering, like the flame of a torch. At one time it appears stationary, at another progressive. It is seen at all seasons of the year, and for the most part in the calm weather which precedes an easterly or southerly storm. It has, how- ever, been noticed during a severe northwestern gale, and when no storm immediately follows. Its continuance is sometimes transient, at others throughout the night, and it has been known to appear several nights in succession.
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" This blaze actually emits luminous rays. A gentleman, whose house is situated near the sea, informs me that he has known it to illuminate considerably the walls of his room through the windows. This happens only when the light is within half a mile of the shore; for it is often seen blazing at six or seven miles distance, and strangers suppose it to be a vessel on fire.
" This lucid meteor has long been known by the name of the Palatine light. By the ignorant and superstitious it is thought to be supernatural. Its appellation originated from that of a ship called the 'Palatine,' which was designedly cast away at this place, in the beginning of the last century, in order to con- ceal, as tradition reports, the inhuman treatment and murder of some of its unfortunate passengers.
"From this time, it is said, the Palatine light appeared, and there are many who firmly believe it to be a ship on fire, to which their fantastic and distempered imaginations figure masts, ropes, and flowing sails.
" The cause of this roving brightness is a curious subject for philosophical investigation. Some, perhaps, will suppose it will depend on a peculiar modification of electricity, others upon the inflammation of hydrogenous gas. But there are, possibly, many other means, unknown to us, by which light may be evolved from those materials with which it is latently asso- ciated, by the power of mechanical affinities."
The light was witnessed in the summer of 1880 by Mr. Joseph P. Hazard, of Narragansett Pier, who thus describes it:
" When I first saw the light it was two miles off the coast. 1 suspected nothing but ordinary sails, however, until I noticed that the light, upon reappearing, was apparently stationary for a few moments, when it suddenly started towards the coast, and, immediately expanding, became much less bright, assuming somewhat the form of a long, narrow jib, sometimes two of them, as if each was on a different mast. I saw neither spar nor hull, but noticed that the speed was very great, certainly not less than fifteen knots, and they surged and pitched as though madly rushing upon raging billows."
At a meeting of the Massachusetts general assembly, Novem- ber 6th, 1672, the petition of the inhabitants of Block Island " for the liberty and privileg of a towneship" was granted, and the town of New Shoreham accordingly incorporated. The
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name was adopted as a reminder of a place in England dear to the memory of the islanders, or, as they expressed it, "as signes of our unity and likeness to many parts of our native country." This name for a long time was no doubt a popular one, but as the sentiment in regard to the native localities of the settlers faded out with the early generations, the more sng- gestive and common name of Block Island rose in popular use. On the incorporation of the town the freemen were to meet four times a year to attend to their town affairs. The officers of the town during the remainder of that century are not known. For the year 1700 they were : Simon Ray, head warden; Joshna Raymond, deputy warden: Nathaniel Mott, town clerk; James Danielson, sergeant; Edward Mott, constable; Thomas Rathbone, first townsman; Joseph Carder, second townsman. The freemen of the island in 1700 were about forty in number.
The officers of the town in 1887 were: Town council-Presi- dent, John P. Champlin ; vice-president, Herbert S. Millikin ; other members, John R. Payne, Alamanza Littlefield and Daniel Mott; town clerk, Ambrose N. Rose; town treasurer, Edward H. Champlin; overseer of poor, Hamilton L. Mott; town ser- geant, Jeremiah C. Rose.
During the wars between France and England, and all through the long struggle of the colonies for independence, Block Island, with no earthly ally, amenable to no other than its own civil authority, was left to itself, and became virtually but a little, forsaken, war-pillaged island, at the mercy of the combatants on both sides. From the year 1690 until after the war of the revolution, Block Island was in sight and hearing of the wrathful guns of the enemy almost constantly, but it so happened that the war of 1812 brought friendship and prosper- ity instead of hostility to the island, in consequence of its being declared neutral ground. The British here replenished their vessels with water and provisions, and paid the gold liberally for these supplies, leaving the islanders to enjoy their prosper- ity in peace.
Among the first improvements which the condition of things seemed most urgently to demand was some kind of a suitable and safe harbor for shipping to lie in on the shores of the island. The surrounding waters were well supplied with fish and bivalves, and some harbor facilities were also needed to facili-
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tate the taking of these, which industry promised to yield prof- itable returns if the needful accommodations could be obtained.
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