USA > Vermont > Windham County > Whitingham > Green leaves from Whitingham, Vermont: a history of the town > Part 7
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It was thought that these exhibitions of chance had a tendency to lift the burden of taxation, but it only changed the responsibility from one class to another, by bringing the gamblers to the front in religious and charitable work.
With all these artful methods for raising money, the town continued to grant special favors to its citi- zens whenever relief seemed necessary.
On the 4th of March, 1793, the town "Voted to raise A tax of one Penny on the Pound on the list of 1792, to be Paid to the treasurer by the first Day of June Next to Be Paid in town orders or Good Maple Sugar at six pence Pr Pound."
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The liberality of the town in allowing its citizens to pay their taxes in "truck and dicker," and the raising of money by games of chance, did not turn out to be a complete remedy for all the financial ills, and nu- merous farms were sold under the hammer. On the 30th day of May, 1798, the town collector, Amasa Shumway, held a great sale of land in Whitingham, to satisfy demands for taxes. Seventy-five lots were sold at low prices. One hundred acres in lot No. 7 .sold for $1,37, and another lot of 79 acres sold for 98 cents. It would be interesting to know if any of the titles under this sale were ever perfected.
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The last year of the century was the most prosper- ous the town has ever seen. Large numbers were added to its population, log huts were abandoned and more modern houses built. The forests were cleared away, roads and bridges built, schools estab- lished, and general thrift pervaded the town.
The first meetinghouse was built this year, which was a great relief to church goers, some of whom had waited thirty years for the good time to come, · when they might enjoy the benefits and pleasures of having a suitable place for the public worship of God. This house was made free to all denominations, by ,a vote of the town. The population of Whitingham at this time. was 868.
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PROMINENT CITIZENS.
Among the early settlers and those prominent in
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business and town affairs, near the close of the last century, were Nathan Green, James Roberts, Jabez Foster, Amasa Shumway, David Eames, James Reed, Reuben Lamphear, Francis Porter, Amos Green, Calvin Munn, Jonathan Hall, Baxter Hall, Reuben Brown, Amos Brown, Joshua Coleman, Samuel Day, Ambrose Stone, Samuel Parker, David Jillson, Wil- liam Goodnow, Jesse Hull, John Roberts, Samuel Preston, Isaac Chase, Joshua Newell, Levi Boyd, Abraham Chase, Abiather Winn, Martin Stickney, Abel B. Wilder, Eli Higley, Jeremiah Kingsbury, Samuel Martin, Hezekiah Murdock, Thomas Nelson, Walter Eames, Abiel Russell, Joseph Hammond, Levi Lamb, Patrick Peebles, Eber Atherton, John Brigham, William Stone, Elisha Putnam, Benjamin Reed, Josiah Brown, Jonas Brown, James Warren, and many others. While these men were interested in town affairs, they took special pride in the success of agricultural pursuits, in which they were all more or less engaged.
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CHAPTER IV.
WITCHCRAFT.
N these early times the inhabitants were dependent upon tradition for most of their knowledge concern- ing the outside world, and were often misled by ignorant theorists and designing pretenders, in mat- · ters pertaining to the supernatural.
It is true that some of the pioneers were educated before they reached Vermont, but their children were less fortunate, there being no regular schools or church service in Whitingham previous to 1800.
Ghost stories and tales about haunted houses ter- rorized the timid and prepared the minds of young persons to tolerate, without investigation, numerous superstitions of the most rediculous sort.
Among other entertaining topics was the solemn fire-side rehearsal of some startling display of Sa- tanic control over earthly affairs, always setting forth
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the great danger of incurring the awful displeasure and sure revenge of the prince of darkness.
Demonology, or Witchcraft, was known more than twenty centuries ago, and thousands of innocent per- sons have been burned at the stake or otherwise put to death on suspicion of being in league with the evil one. This delusion found victims in New Eng- land in the 17th century, and many were tried and executed upon charges now believed to have been without the slightest foundation in truth.
More than a hundred years after the culmination of this fallacy was exploded in Massachusetts, it had a legendary existence in Whitingham, reprerented in the person of an elderly lady by the name of Lam- phear, who had the unjust and uncomfortable repu- tation of being a witch.
When night folded its drapery about the homes of the mountaineers, and the family had gathered around the ample kitchen fire, some experienced person would recount, with an air of solemnity, the wonder- ful traditions of the most stupendous delusion the world ever saw. Their words would almost material- ize the dark spirit of the champion of evil, and chil- dren and timid persons even came to believe that witches were a part of the economy of Nature.
Some consoled themselves by constant companion- ship with a horse shoe, while others, less artful and more superstitious, were destined to suffer the most
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acute agony of mind and body, as the old lady rode her phantom steed through the midnight air.
Julius Clark, a young man who lived near Mrs. Lamphear, claimed that he was bewitched by her, and so thoroughly under her influence that he was unable to leave his bed for ten years. When the old lady died he at once recovered and lived to old age.
Another man supposed himself to be one of her victims, and would exert himself in every possible way to avoid her influence and control. He claimed that on going to his barn one morning he found his cattle on their backs, while everything around seem- ed wrong side up. This he said was the work of the old woman. This man related numerous instances where he thought the spirit of this harmless old lady was wont to revel among helpless victims, but the revelry was probably in his own distempered brain.
Mrs. Lamphear lived where J. Seymour Houghton now resides. Not far away, upon the old road lead- ing towards the Capt. Bond place, was the residence of Hezekiah Whitney who had several sons, all pre- tending to be well stocked with Vermont courage. They wanted proof before they were willing to allow that Mrs. Lamphear was possessed of supernatural power, but it is evident that they were ready to believe what they saw, and liable to see more to the square inch than philosophers had dreamed about.
It is said that on a certain day one of these boys was driving a yoke of oxen, when one of them went
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through the bow and was seen walking several paces ahead of the other ox, the bow retaining its place in the yoke. The maker of this story is not known.
Mr. James Upton, who lived near Mrs. Lamphear, had offended her in some way, and he claimed that she sought revenge by telling him that his children would be sick and his cat would die. Upton defied her power, and told her that she could not make his children sick or kill his cat, in any supernatural way; but not long after some of the children were sick and the cat died, as predicted. This story was fre- quently told by Mr. Upton who pretended to believe in its truth, and that the old lady was responsible for his trouble. Mr. Upton was an intemperate man and might have seen snakes.
Mrs. Lamphear was a widow with two sons, Reu- ben and Chandler. Chandler had a daughter who lived with her grandmother and firmly believed her to be a witch. This shows what ignorance and su- perstition will do for mankind.
At this time it had been settled for nearly a hun- dred years, that witchcraft was a miserable delusion, and yet it was a notorious fact that nine tenths of all the inhabitants of Whitingham believed Mrs. Lam- phear to be in league with the devil, as a witch.
This old lady, perhaps a little eccentric, was with- out doubt entirely innocent of all these suspicions.
Good education, sound judgment, a clear consci- ence and a belief in witchcraft, cannot live together,
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and if any person or persons deserve criticism for tolerating, in any form, the witchcraft delusion in Whitingham, let it fall upon those who were foolish enough to allow their credulity to overshadow their reason, instead of holding up to ridicule an innocent and harmless old woman.
THE GOLDEN ERA.
From the time Whitingham was chartered, up to as late as 1815, there prevailed throughout all this region of country, a superstitious notion that large quantities of gold and silver had been buried here- abouts, and that numerous mines of treasure had been discovered or dreamed of, in most of the New England States.
Probably this sentiment sprung, in a measure, from the exploits of Capt. William Kidd, who was selected in 1696, as the proper person to clear the seas of pirates, from the Cape of Good Hope to the Straits of Malacca. Kidd was placed in command of a gal- ley of 287 tons, with 30 guns. It is supposed that his original intentions were honest, but he soon turn- ed pirate himself. He was hanged May 24, 1701, at Execution dock, London, for the murder of one of his own men.
He had, before this, buried money and merchan- dise to the amount of {14,000, on Gardiner's island. This property was found, and more than a hundred
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years later people were digging all over New Eng- land after Kidd's gold.
It will be remembered that there was a reservation in the charter of Whitingham, of all gold and silver mines. This combination of circumstances led many credulous persons to infer that Whitingham was not only rich in buried spoils, but that its mountains concealed undeveloped mines of gold, silver and precious metals. Meetings were held for the pur- pose of comparing notes, and to relate the success each person had experienced in mining affairs, and to unfold and make patent their fantastic dreams of future success in finding pots of money. All this business had a brilliant future-in imagination.
I have had the good fortune to obtain so much of a history of this money question, that something more than a mere vague statement can be presented.
Silas Hamilton, at that time, the foremost man in town, kept a note-book wherein he made a record of what he could learn about mines and buried coin.
Although his book exhibits the outlines of a su- perstition, it becomes interesting as tending to show what the people, at that time and in that locality, were thinking about. Before these notes were made, Mr. Hamilton had held the highest offices the town could bestow upon a citizen. He was also a land owner, being possessed of 2200 acres in Glasten- bury ; 1020 acres in Whitingham ; 500 acres in Strat- ton; 150 acres in Windsor; 125 acres in Shutesbury ;
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100 acres in Halifax ; and 86 acres in Marlborough.
He was a representative man without question, but he kept a record of current events of a very pe- culiar sort. It is original, unique, and without a rival in form or substance. I herewith give a portion of this strange document, as follows :-
Leverit mine meeting Adjourned to the third Wednesday in March 1786 to meet at Israel Hubbard in Leverit.
Hinsdale mine Proprietors, Isaac Barrit, Zadock Barrit, David Davis of Gilford, Lozor Robbins of Westmoreland, John Barrit of Hinsdail.
Mine meeting to be held at Silas Barritt's House in Hinsdail on the first Wednesday in april Nex at Nine o' clock.
Mrs. Woodbury & her Dafters have Dreemed Sundry Times in a Remarkable manor of money or hid Treasure in Brookfield on her husband's farm in Brookfield in the bay state.
Mr. Woodbury can Inform of a Chest of money hid in Wood- stock South Part in ye Bay state.
Hannah Bancroft Informs that one Col. Enuch Putnam's Sistors Dreemed of a Pot of money Sd Dreemor is in Danves Massachu- setts.
John Stevenson of Brookfield he & his mamey Dreemed in a Remarkable manor of finding a Large Quantity of (money) in Brookfield Sd Stevenson may be found in Oakham moving in the Spring 1786.
Joshua Randol of Rutland Informs of a Valuable mine in ye town of Thompson in Connecticut and Blood's mine Near Dudley pond in ye Bay.
Ebenezer Felton of N Salam Dreemed of money hid.
Mrs Putnam of Newsalem Dreemed of finding a pot of money in Oldsalam near high water mark.
Mr. John Prentice can Inform of a Large Quantity of money hid.
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Elisabeth Emmonds of Petersham Dreemed of money hid Near Col. Warner's in Hardwick &c &c.
Mrs. Ruth Williams of Greenwich near Newsalam line Informs of a Valuable Lead mine in a mountain Near her Dwelling house in Sd Salam line.
The Indian Incampment was on David Sloan's Land in Pelham.
Rachel Pain in Shutesbury Dreemed of a Pot of money being in the Town of Westtown between Mr. Rand's and & Mr.
Mr. John Boyeston of Mounticue at the falls Informs of a box of money in Hartford in Connecticut above ye firry at the Loir End of the Cove, also in Middletown is Seven Chests of money Hid at the Loer end of the stretes.
Mr. James Glass Informs of a Trunk of money In Cloverock on the west side of Hudson River, near 100 Rods from said River Right against the Town on the East side of a sandy hill.
Mrs. Qushman of Mounticu Informs of Mr. Ebenezer Slate's finding a Gould mine in his well upon his farm in Barnerdston and that her Sun Asahel Qushman found a Carbuncle on his father's farm in Sd Barnerdston.
Mr. John Trask of Newsalem Informs me of hid Treasure found formerly by Absalem Herod of Sd Salem. Sd Treasure is in sight of Boston bay.
Mr. Jonathan Emmond Informs that Mr. John Perce of New- salam Dreemed of finding a large Quantity of money in old Salam Sd Perce Can Inform of more hid Treasure.
InQuier of Capt. Henery Slawton and Capt. Haley of Bedford about 3000 pounds hid.
Mr. Israel Hendricks Informs of a Silver Tankard of Guineys hid in a mountain in North Castle King's Bridge in New York state Sd mountain by a great Public Road as the pass to New York. Said town lays below Bedford.
Mrs. Downing of Wair Informs that there is a mine of silver at ye flat rock on Coy's hill in Brookfield.
Jobe Hewett of Belchertown in Massachusetts Informs of money hid in the Town of Stoten in Sd state. InQuier of Mr. Abyal
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Drake in the Town of Sharon near Said Stoton. . Dreemed of find- ing Goald wedges in the same town.
Mr. Israel Randol Informs of two Chests of money in Eastown or Stoten in a Swamp Near the Great Road from Tanton to Bos- ton near Capt. - in Sd Stoton.
Mr. Nathan Kingsley of Belchertown Informs that Solomon Hinds of Greenwich can Inform of money hid towards Boston.
Hid Treasure in Suguin Island Near Casco bay, a Great Quan- tity.
Mrs. Cheney Near Pelham meetinghouse or in Belchertown Dreemed of a Pot of money hid on her farm in Pelham.
Mr. Lamb Informs that Bezalel Perce Informs that his Brother of South Hadley Dreemed of a Large Quantity of money hid near mount tom the west sid of Connecticut River.
Mrs. Downing Informs yt a Pyrot hid money on mount tom Near Connecticut River on the Sid of ye mount. towards North- ampton.
Mrs. Chapin of Row Informs that ther is a pot of monay hid on her father John Brown's farm in Lesester in Bay State under a grape vine.
Mr. Zebbelon Perce of Colrain Informs that Robert Mirefield of Sd town Dreemed of finding an arthen pot of money in the town of Roxbury in Bay state.
A hogshead of hid Treasure by see shore, Inquier of Mr. Brittan of Westmoreland in New Hampshiretate & he can Inform of that & other Hid Treasures.
Mr. Barns of Gilford Informs that on the Southwest part of Gardners Island near a clear Spring of water and within Ten or a Dozen Rod of where the Tide Rises is Hid a Large Chest of mon- ey. Also on Fishers Island on the Narrowest Place of the Island Northward of Sum scattering Trees within a Rod of Sd Trees. Also on the west part of Sd Island within a Rod of Hay harbor a hogshead of money hid. Sd Barns Dreemed three times in one Knight abought Sd Hogshead of money. A Tree or Stump of a Tree the west sid of Sd Hogshead, a Rock the East sid a bout two
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or three feet in haith. Also on fishers Island on Hawks Nest pint Near west Great Harber below high water mark.
Capt. Deneson of Gilford in Vermont State Informs of hid Treasure on fishers Island. For further information Inquier of Capt. John Avery of the Lower part of Groten in Connecticut.
Also Capt. Doneson Dreemed of hid money on fishers Island on mount Prospect near a Rock not the bigness of a haycock, Sd Prospect is on the West End of the Island.
Silas Barret of Hinsdail Informs that Mr. Garcy who has Left his wife at Higgins' in Chesterfield in New Hampshire and gon to New sity in albany and changed his name and Corting a new wife has found a silver mine soposed to be in Roxbury in Varmont State.
Mrs. Barrows' Sister Wheeler of Shutesbury Dreemed of a pot of money hid in Middlebury on her fathers farm now owned by Capt. Jobe Perce, Sd pot is in a myrey Swamp ten Rods from the house west.
Jesse Kendel of Athol Informs of a mine on his father's farm in Woburn and of 3 pots of money in Lexington near Boston.
Mr. Jonathan Goodail Informs that Thomas Sawyer of Wendol Dreemed that he & Asa Goodail Got a pot of money to the West- ward.
Mrs. Wheeler of Shutesbury Dreemed of finding a two Pail Pot- full of money on Capt. Jobe Perce's or her father's old farm iu Middlebury below the orchyard near a spring of water.
Mrs. Isaac Fay of Hardwick Dreemed in a remarkable manner of a Gould & Silver Treasure on his old farm in Sd Hardwick.
Mrs. Polly Reed has"Dreemed of finding hid money in Hard- wick in James Page's farm west of his house.
Mr. Jonathan Allin of Greenwich can Inform of a Large Quantity of Hid Treasure. His Dafter Betsey Dreemed of a Pot of money near her father's House in Sd Greenwich. Said Allins Boy Dree- med of an old Log full of money North of Sd Allins House.
Govener Winthrop's Mine is in Sturbridge in the State of Massa- chusetts, in the South part of Said Town Near the Hawards.
Oliver Nuton who formerly lived in Belchertown and now lives
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in Western can Inform of a Noted Kimester in Filadelfia Who will Pay hard money for Valuable oars and for Reads Diamonds 1-6 pr oz. .
A method to Tak up hid Treasure (viz).
Tak Nine Steel Rods about ten or twelve Inches in Length Sharp or Piked to Perce in to the Erth, and let them be Besmeared with fresh blood from a hen mixed with hogdung. Then mak two Surkels Round the hid Treasure one of Sd Surkels a Littel Larger in surcumference than the hid Treasure lays in the Erth the other Surkel Sum Larger still, and as the hid treasure is wont to move to North or South East or west Place your Rods as is Discribed on the other sid of this leaf.
The manner of placing the rods in proper position is described by a diagram, of which the following is an exact copy both in form and size, as it appears in the notes made by the hand of Silas Hamilton, who appears to have been a leading spirit in all visionary schemes wherein gold, silver, or other precious met- als were supposed to be the object of pursuit.
M
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Toute
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The following letter was found in the same book with the notes, which seems to have been copied as a part of the information then being obtained in relation to mines and buried treasures.
Northampton, April ye 17, 1787.
MR. JOHN CARGEL Sr :---
I have seen your Place in Cohos in New Hampsh I would inform you ther is in the town of Rowe & Whitingham a Vast Body of the Best of Iron oar which I have seen and a curios stream of Water for furnace & Iron works &c. a Good Gristmill & sawmill Inhabitants Plenty. Silas Hamilton owns ye mine and lives in Sd Whitingham in Vermont, a Great markit for Iron there.
Doubtless Esqur. Hamilton and you can come to an agreement to Vast advantage to Each of you.
HIS WILLIAM WILLIAMS X JONES. MARK
The events referred to in the last five pages might, without reflection, seem commonplace; but a more interesting chapter, touching the early history of the town, could not well have been written. It is the work of the first settler, showing what he and others were thinking about, and how much faith they had in vague superstition. The fact that these dreams and premonitions were considered of sufficient im- portance to be placed on record by one admitted to be the peer of any of the early settlers, in the matter of intelligence, warrants our present belief that such visions, so adroitly described, were not entertained without some hope of realization.
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Conference meetings were frequently held, wherein all information relating to the finding of mines of gold and silver, or of hidden treasure, was reported. Mr. Hamilton was careful to write it down, and what he preserved tells its story after the lapse of more than a hundred years.
It seems that the belief in hidden treasure was so firmly rooted in the minds of the people that a reg- ular system prevailed whereby mines and pots of money might be discovered. They appear to have had their machinery for extracting precious metals from the ground, and in using it they were advised to place the steel rods over the money to be raised, in which case it would be necessary to first find the money. This being done it would seem unnecessary to employ much machinery except a spade.
I well remember hearing these circles and rods spoken of as necessary in finding hidden treasures, and that in digging for money it was important to commence the work about midnight and avoid utter- ing a word while the work was going on. Whoever spoke during such labor, dissolved the spell, and nothing could be found that night. So far as is now known the spell was broken every time.
. The importance of maintaining profound silence on such occasions shows a kind of felonious shrewd- ness on the part of the manipulators, who well knew that nothing would be found, and that it would be
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necessary to satisfy the credulity of those who were foolish enough to believe in rods, and circles, and spells, to the extent of losing their sleep and running the risk of seeing a ghost while engaged in this ludi- crous enterprise. If nothing was found, the claim that the spell was broken in some mysterious way would always satisfy those who were simple enough to dig in the ground to verify a dream.
The mine meetings, the rehearsal of gold-tinted dreams, the solitary and silent midnight struggle with ghouls, and the resort to mystery, all had some tendency to call attention to the locality where such nonsense had its dupes; but it must have been a little discouraging to those who were inclined to be- lieve in dreams, when they found that none of the glowing visions of Silas Hamilton were ever realized.
SUICIDES.
Self-destruction is the culmination of another and more serious delusion. Its causes are too numerous to be mentioned here. Several instances are re- corded in Jewish history, and the Greek and Roman philosophers deemed it a crime. But it seems that this offence cannot be prohibited or even regulated to any great extent by law. Its tendency is to defy all law and ignore all restraint, and no adequate remedy can be devised, except in cases where im- agination is the sole cause, like that related by Plu- tarch, where an unaccountable passion for suicide
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prevailed among the Milesian virgins, till a decree was issued that the body of every maid who commit- ted self-murder should be drawn naked through the streets, when this remarkable frenzy subsided.
The statute law of England, directing that the body of the suicide should be buried in a cross-road, and a stake driven through it, was absurd, vindictive and barbarous, and yet it was not repealed till 1823.
Those who contemplate self-destruction frequently adopt some of the most appalling methods of which the human mind can conceive. One of the ancient philosophers threw himself into the crater of Mount Etna, and in 1811 an Englishman jumped into the furnace of a forge. In 1820, a Frenchman threw himself into the crater of Vesuvius.
The means generally employed by a suicide are so unnatural and violent, indicating so plainly the de- thronement of reason, that all sane persons now look upon such unfortunates with pity instead of revenge.
Whitingham has not been wholly exempt from this terrible scourge. It is not to be expected that every case has been recorded or preserved by tradi- tion, but the following facts are here presented and placed upon record.
SAMUEL MARTIN cut his throat with a razor, Octo- ,
ber 3, 1829, at the age of 59 years. He was a resi- dent of Jacksonville, then known as Martin's Mills.
SCHUYLER MURDOCK cut his throat with a razor, October 24, 1830. At this time he represented
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Whitingham in the Assembly of Vermont, and this fatality happened in Montpelier while the legislature was in session. Several days previous he appeared to be deranged while attempting to speak upon a bill before the house, and was advised to withdraw. He was a man of intelligence, and much respected at home and abroad. His age was 34 years.
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