Stories of New England Captives BARTLETT: TRUE STORIES OF NEW ENGLAND CAPTIVES TWO CAPTIVES. A ROMANCE OF REAL LIFE, TWO HUNDRED YEARS AGO. Windsor, Conn., was at that time a leading commercial town, and carried on an extensive trade with the West [p.226] Indies and adjacent islands. There was no bridge at Hartford, and Windsor became a noted port of entry, not only for coasters and West India vessels, but for English ships. The river was at all times full of vessels loading and unloading there, and "Windsor green, often heaped with goods" awaiting storage or transportation, "was lively with jovial sea captains" and sunburned sailors. Making and shipping pipe-staves was an important industry of this vicinity, and James Rising may have wished to add this branch of trade to his business. However this may be, he was "voted an inhabitant of Windsor," on March 11th, 1668, and the next year he was formally dismissed by letter from the church of Salem to that of Windsor. There his wife died on the 11th of August, 1669. Four years later he married the Widow Martha Bartlett, who died in less than a year after her marriage. It is said that he kept the ferry at Windsor. To the contribution made by that town to the sufferers from Philip's war in other colonies, James Rising gave five shillings, his son John one shilling and sixpence, and his daughter Hannah, one and three pence. "Sept. 24, 1667. Att the County Court holden att Springfield, Capt. John Pynchon one of the Honored Assistants of this Colony presiding, "James Bennett, Godfrey Nims and Benoni Stebbins, young lads of Northampton being by Northampton Commissioners bound over to this Court to answere for diverse crimes and misdeeds comitted by them, were brought to this court by ye constable Of yt towne, wch 3 lads are accufed by Robert Bartlett, for that they gott into his house two Sabbath days, when all the family were at the Publike Meeting, on yt first of which tymes, they, viz Nims and Stebbins did ransack about the house, and took away out of diverse places of the house viz, 24 shillings in silver and 7 sh. in Wampum, with intention to run away to the ffrench, all wch is by them confessed; wch wickedness of theirs hath allso been accompanyed with frequent lying to excuse and justify themselves especially on Nims his part, who it sems hath been a ringleader in the villanyes; ffor all which their crimes and misdemeands this corte doth judge yt the said 3 lads shall bee well whipt on their naked bodies, viz Nims and Bennett with 25 lashes apeece and Benoni Stebbyngs with 11 lashes; and the said Nims and Stebbins are to pay Robert Bartlett the Summe of 4#,being accounted treble damage, according to law for what goods he hath lost by their means. Allso those persons that have received any money of any of the said lads, are to restore it to the sd Robert Bartlett. But their being made to the Corte an earneft pitition & request by Ralph Hutchinson, father in law to ye said Bennet, and diverse other con siderable persons, that the said Bennett's corporall punishment might be released, by reason of his mother's weaknese, who it seemed may suffer much inconvenience thereby, that punishment was remitted upon his father in law his engaging to this corte, to pay ffive pounds to ye County, as a fyne for the said Benitts [p.230] offence; which 5# is to be paid to ye county Treasurer for ye use of Sd county. Allso John Stebbins Junior, being much suspected to have some hand in their plotting to run away, This Corte doth order ye Commissioners of Northampton to call him before ym, & to examine him about that, or any other thing wherein he is supposed to be guilty with ye said lads and to act therein according to their discretion attending law. Also they are to call the Indian called Onequelat, who had a hand with ym in their plott, and to deale with him according as they fynd."> TRUE STORIES OF NEW ENGLAND CAPTIVES FATHER MERIELMARY SILVER. On the 29th of August, 1708, [Sept. 9, N. S.] a party of French and Indians attacked Haverhill, Mass., then a village of about thirty houses, with a meeting-house and a picketed fort or garrison house. The following account is by Joseph Bartlett, a soldier in the garrison house under Capt. Wainwright:1 "In the year 1707, in November, I, Joseph Bartlett was pressed, and sent to Haverhill. My quarters were at the house of a captain Waindret. August 29, 1708, there came about 160 French and 50 Indians, and beset the town of Haverhillset fire to several houses; among which was that of captain Waindret. The family at this time were all reposing in sleep; but Mrs Waindret waking, came and awaked and told me that the Indians had come. I was in bed in a chamber, having my gun and ammunition by my bed-side. I arose, put on my small clothes, took my gun, and looking out at a window, saw a company of the enemy lying upon the ground just before the house, with their guns presented at the windows, that on discovering any person they might fire at them. I put my gun to the window very still, and shot down upon them, and bowed down under the window; at which they fired, but I received no harm. I went into the other chamber, in which was Mrs. Waindret, who told me we had better call for quarter or we should all be burnt alive. I told her we had better not; for I had shot, and believed I had killed half a dozen, and thought we should soon have help.> The rage of the enemy on discovering that they had been duped by a woman, may be imagined. They attacked the garrison with great violence, at the same time attempting to fire the house. They were forced to retreat with three captives, one of whom was Joseph Bartlett, quoted above,another was Mrs. Wainwright's daughter by her first marriage, Mary Silver, then about fourteen years old. The route of the captives may be traced by Bartlett's narrative. In February he became the servant of a rich Frenchman afflicted with gout. In his leisure moments he "Wrought at shoemaking." He describes his religious experiences in Canada, with charming naoveti. His mistress asked him why he did not "attend meeting." "I answered that I could not [p.324] understand what they said. She said she could not. I asked her what she went for. She answered, to say her prayers." The simple cobbler at his last, disputing doctrines with the educated priest, is an interesting picture of the sturdy New England character. Bartlett gives us much more of his theological discussion with Father Meriel,but the [p.325] priest's efforts to convert him were unavailing. Bartlett was redeemed and returned to Newbury after a captivity of four years, two months and nine days. BARTLET: TRUE STORIES OF NEW ENGLAND CAPTIVES p.193 MY HUNT FOR THE CAPTIVES. Then follow Thomas's mark and the autographs of Marie [p.203] Frangoise French, William Perkins, John Thomas, Jacob Gilman, Daniel Joseph Maddox, Joseph Bartlet and Meriel Prjtre. As the age of the bride corresponds exactly to that of Elizabeth Hurst, I am led to believe that Hannah went back with Sara and their mother to New England, and that Elizabeth, with the name of Marie added at her baptism, was left with Ebenezer and Thomas in Canada, where she married as above. The Marie Frangoise French, who appears as one of the witnesses at the wedding of her friend Elizabeth Hurst, was a daughter of Deacon Thomas French and his wife, Mary Catlin. Deacon French was the town clerk of Deerfield, and also the blacksmith.1