p. 98

"Honoured Sir

Last nightt aboutt seaven A Clocke we martched Into Nashowah wheare we are Att Presentt butt shall soone as the Constable hath prest us a dozen Horsses; Proseed for groatton & so to Chenceford; according to the orders Major Willard gave me yesterday Att Quoahbauge; our Major having a Seartayne Intelligence of a Considerable Party of Indians yt [that] have gathered toogather a littell above Chensford which I hope wee shalbe up with this Night or to morrough at furthest & if it pleese God I come up with them God assisting me I will Cloosely ingadge with them & God Spearing my life I shall as oppertunity gives leave Acquaintt yo'r honor off my Actjons; I have wth me butt 60: Men at Present.

The above is extracted from a letter of the noted Captain of dragoons to Governor Leverett, in Massachusetts archives LXVII, 239. Six days later, Sunday, August 22d the Indians having warily avoided an encount-er with the dragoons, and got in their rear, made a raid upon Lancaster.

Gen. Daniel Gookin states that this bloody foray was headed by a one-eyed chief of the Nipmucks, named John Monoco "who lived near Lancaster before the war began," and that he had twenty of Philip's men with him.

Mrs. Rowlandson writes:

"Those seven that were killed at Lancaster...upon a sabbath day, and the one who was afterwards killed upon a week day, were slain and mangled in a most barbarous manner by one eyed John and Marlboroughs praying Indians, as the Indians told me."

The charge against the Christian Indians was maliciously untrue, as proven upon their trial. The scene of the murders was at the north end of the settlement, the house of the MacLouds being in the neighborhood of the North Village cemetery. The names of the slain were:

George Bennet
William Flagg
Jacob Farrar, Jun.
Joseph Wheeler
Mordecai MacLoud
Mrs. Lydia MacLoud
Hannah MacLoud aged four years
(also) An infant MacLoud

Flagg was a soldier detailed for duty here, from Watertown. Wheeler was not a Lancaster man, but probably of Concord.

Letter from Ralph Houghton Feb 8th 1675

"ffor the Honoured Countie Court siting at Cambridge.

I was desired by a poore widow whose husband was slaine by the Indians here and hath 5 small children left with her; by a law of the countrie shee should have brought in an Inventorie of her husbands estate, but such are the deficulties of the time and alsoe the trouble of her litle children that shee could not posibly with any saftie com downe; her name is Lidia Benet, and alsoe a Scotsman Mordicai Mukload [MacLoud] who alsoe was slaine and his wife and children, and his house and goods all burned; he hath a brother surviving, both of them had a desire to have com downe with their Inventories but both of them have Catle in the woods, but know not whether the Indians have killed them or not, and therefore they humbly desire the honoured Court not to looke upon them as contemners of authoritie but give them liberty untill another Court and in soe doing, the honoured will ingage the widow and fatherless children as in dutie they are bound to pray for the honoured Court.

Lans 2: 8m: 1675 Subscribed by Ralph Houghton Clarke of the writs"
[Middlesex Court Files]

The bold incursion of one-eyed John was but the prelude to the fearful tragedy of February 10th. Of the plan for the destruction of Lancaster in all its details, even to the very day assigned for its accomplish-ment, the colonial authorities were fully advised; yet so far as any records show, with a neglect that seems criminally strange, they did almost nothing to ward off or meet the blow. Of the aboriginal poss-essors of Nashaway, none, unless Sholan, better deserves to be honored among us than that Indian scout, whose courage, skill and fidelity should have saved the town from the massacre of 1676, James Quanapaug, alias James Wiser, also Quenepenett or Quannapohit.

This Christian Indian was so well known for his bravery, capacity and friendship for the English, that Philip had marked him for martyrdom and given orders accordingly to some of his lieutenants. The Governor of the Colony about the same date, commissioned him and a fellow Christian [Indian] named Job Kattenanit, from Natick, for the dangerous venture of visiting the Indian camps to bring back information of the numbers and plans of Philip's forces. These two men, the historian William Hubbard tells us, "through the woods, in the depths of winter, when the ways were impassable for any other sort of people," sought the Nipnet outposts, and "ordered their business so prudently as that they were admitted into those Indian habitations as friends and had free liberty of discourse with them." They were closely watched, how-ever, threatened, and but for a powerful friend would have been slain.

In Quanapaug's own words:

"Next morning I went to One-eyed John's wigwam. He said he was glad to see me: I had been his friend for many years & had helped him kill Mohaugs: and said nobody should meddle with me. I told him what was said of me. He said if any body hurt me they should die. I lay in the sagamores wigwam; and he charged his gun, and threatened any man that should offer me hurt. And this Indian told me they would fall upon Lancaster, Groton, Marlborough, Sudbury and Medfield, and that the first thing they would do should be to cut down Lancaster bridge so to hinder their flight and assistance coming to them, and they intended to fall upon them in about twenty days time from Wednesday next."
[James Quanapaug's Information]

p.100

Quanapaug finding that he must soon meet Philip, and having effected the the main purpose of his errand, evaded his suspicious foes by a cunning stratagem, and on the 24th, 11th mo., 1675, bought to his em-ployers, the Governor and Council, full knowledge of the hostile forces and their fell intent. The emergency demanded speedy energy; it met inaction.

Rumors of coming woe meantime stirred the air in the Nashaway valley. The chief military officer, the minister, and other leading citizens went to the Bay to awaken the Council from their lethargy and beg for help. It was too late. February 9th 1675/6, about ten o'clock at night, Job Kattenanit, the second spy, completely exhausted, dragged himself to Major Gookin's door in Cambridge. He had deserted wife and children, and alone travelled upon snow shoes through the pathless wilderness from New Braintree, a terribly fatiguing march of eighty miles, to save his English friends. James Quanapaug had foretold that on the morrow the blow would be struck at Lancaster. Let Daniel Gookin tell Job's story and the fulfillment of the prophecy.

Daniel Gookin:

"He brought tidings that before he came from the enemy at Menemesse, a party of Indians, about four hundred, were marched forth to attack and burn Lancaster, and on the morrow, which was February 10th they would attempt it. This time exactly suited with James his information before hinted, which was not then credited as it should have been; and consequently no so good means used to prevent it or at least to have lain in ambushments for the enemy. As soon as Major Gookin understood this tidings by Job, he rose out of his bed and, advising with Mr. Danforth one of the Council that lived near him, they despatched away post in the night to Marlborough Concord and Lancaster, ordering forces to surround Lancaster with all speed. The posts were at Marlborough by break of day and Capt. Wadsworth with about forty soldiers marched away as speedily as he could possibly to Lancaster (which was ten miles distant). But before he got there the enemy had set fire on the bridge. But Capt. Wadsworth got over and beat off the enemy, recovering a garrison house, that stood near another bridge, belonging to Capt. Stevens, and so through God's favor prevented the enemy from cutting off the garrison, God strangely preserving that handful with Capt. Wadsworth, for the enemy were numerous, about four hundred, and lay in ambushment for him on the common road, but his guides conducted him in a private way and so they got safe to Cyprian Stevens, his garrison house very near the other only bridge and a little ground parting them. This house burnt was the minister's house Mr. Rowlandson wherein were slain and taken captive about forty persons, the minister's wife and children amongst them. [Daniel Gookin's History of the Praying Indians]

p.104

London 1676.

News from New England being a True and Last Account of the present Bloody Wars, etc.

"In a town called Nashaway which they set Fire to, and burnt to the Ground, taking no less than 55 Persons into their Merciless Captivity, of these 55 Captives, the Minister of the Towns Relations made no less than 17 of them: viz. Mrs. Rowlandson, the Ministers Wife, and three of his children, her Sister [Elizabeth Kerley] and seven Children and her Sister Drew [Hannah Divoll] and four Children.

Another pamphlet published in London late in the same year, entitled "A new and further Narrative of the State of New England," copies its facts from the preceding.

A List of the Casualties - Feb'y 10 1675/6 Compiled from all Known Sources of Information

Mrs. Mary Rowlandson wife of the minister - ransomed.
Mary Rowlandson, dau of the minister - aged 10, ransomed.
Sarah Rowlandson, dau of the minister - aged 6, wounded & died Feb 18.
Joseph Rowlandson, son of the minister, aged 13, ransomed.
Mrs. Hannah Divoll, wife of Ensign John Divoll, ransomed.
John Divoll, son of Ensign John Divoll, aged 12, died - captive?
William Divoll, son of Ensign John Divoll, aged 4, ransomed.
Mrs. Ann Joslin, wife of Abraham Joslin, killed in captivity.
Beatrice Joslin, dau of Abraham Joslin, killed in captivity.
Joseph Joslin, brother of Abraham Joslin, aged 16
Henry Kerley, son of Lieut Henry Kerley, aged 18
Hannah Kerley, dau of Lieut Henry Kerley, aged 13
Mary Kerley, dau of Lieut Henry Kerley, aged 10
Martha Kerely, dau of Lieut Henry Kerley, aged 4
A child Kerley, name & age unknown
Mrs. Elizabeth Kettle, wife of John Kettle, ransomed
Sarah Kettle, dau of John Kettle, aged 14, escaped.
Jonathan Kettle, son of John Kettle, aged 5.
A child Kettle, daughter of John Kettle.
Ephraim Roper alone escaped furing the assault.

Mrs. Rowlandson writes: "Of thirty-seven persons who wer in this one house, none escaped either present death or a bitter captivity save only one." (Most authorities are united, however, in stating the number of the garrison as 42. Seven persons are therefore unaccounted for in above list.

The whole number of casualties being 55, nine remain not ascertained. A soldier from Watertown aged 20, named George Harrington, was killed near Prescott's Mills a few days after the massacre and John Roper was killed the day the town was finally abandoned by all its inhabitants, March 26, 1676.

p.106

So gret was the terror inspired throughout the Bay towns by the quick succeeding Indian raids of this period that it was seriously proposed to abandon and fence out Lancaster, Groton and other outlying towns by a stockade eight feet high and twelve miles in length, from Watertown to Wamesit [Massachusetts Archives, LXVIII 174.]

"Three pounds per head bounty was voted by General Court for the killing or capturing of "sculking Indians."

p.107 Lancaster March 11, 1675/6 - Letter to the Governor and Counsell -"A humble Petition of the poor distressed people of Lancaster (excerpt) "...many of us heare in this prison, have not bread to last us one month & our other provisions spent & gon, for the genrallyty, our Town is drawn into two garisons - sixteen soulders....we areseartaynly a bayt (bait) for the enemy. We are sorrowful to leave the place but hoplesse to keep it unlesse mayntayed by the Cuntrey....our women cris dus daily...which dus not only fill our ears but our hearts full of Greefe and makes us humbly Request yo'r Hon'rs to send a Gard of men & that if you please so comand we may have Carts about fourteen will re-move the whool eight of which has presed long at Sudbury but never came for want of a small gard of men, the whooll that is, all that are in the Garison, Kept in Major Willards house which is all from y're Hon'rs most humble servants & suplyants -
Lancast'r March 11, 1675/6