History of Fitchburg Part 13 Rufus Torrey 1865  


(the year is the summer of 1747) (The Indian, Surdody, a
neighbor of John Fitch, has gone to Canada to seek help with
his plan to seek recompense from Mr. Fitch for distroying
his dwelling place.)  Mr. Fitch, feeling insecure, had
previously petitioned the government for assistance.  Two
soldiers, named Jennings and Blodgett, were accordingly
stationed at his house, for his protection.  Upon the
arrival of the Indians, some of them posted themselves in
lurking positions about Fitch's dwelling -- a body of them
passing over the hill where John Turner lives, to the hill
where William Coggswell and Edmund Proctor live, and even to
the south part of town to the hill where Stephen Houghton
lives, lurked about in the thick woods there, to take a view
of the state of things in Lunenburg.

As it happened to be Sunday, and as our fathers were more in
the habit of going to meeting than their descendants at the
present day, the Indians were not a little surprised and
disappointed at seeing such a concourse of white faces, and
men armed for attack -- for at that time people went armed
to church.  They accordingly skulked back to their comrades
telling them that the pale faces were as thick as the leaves
in the forest and that it was utterly hopeless to attack
them there.  But they determined not to go back
empty-handed. So they killed an ox which was quietly
browsing in the woods; made an encompment, roasted their
beef and made merry with one another.  This camp was
afterwards discovered in a field then belonging to John
Scott, and is not a gread distance from McIntire's saw-mill,
on the Scott road.  It was (if it is not now) called the
camp pasture, from this circumstance.

Before making an attack upon John Fitch, they divided into
parties and reconnoitered the neighborhood.  On the brow of
Pearl Hill they anxiously looked down upon the Gibsons, and
longed to lay their hands on them.  But these giants, whose
size and strength would have done honor to the days of
chivalry, were hardy looking men, and to use the words of
one of their descendants, "the Indians didn't dare to tackle
them."  In a kind of cave on the hill were afterwards found
a gun barrel, an axe, and several implements of Indian
manufacture -- supposed to have been left here on this
occasion.

They proceeded to David Goodridge's, one evening, and one of
them as he afterwards informed Mr. Fitch, when in captivity,
climbed into a tree near to the house, for the purpose of
reconnoitering the premises through the window.

He saw a white squaw feeding her papoose with milk.  They
retired from this house without doing any damage.

On the following day, Mr. Goodridge was out on horseback, in
search of a cow, which did not return home the previous
night.  He was on the hill, near the place where S. Ward
Harris now lives, when the Indians suddenly started up in
the path a few paces in front of him, and commanded him to
surrender.  He immediately turned his horse in order to
retreat, when lo! another Indian, completely armed, faced
him there to cut him off in that direction.  He then made a
circuit, aiming to come down the hill towards Kimball's
mills.  The savage ran in a direct line to cut him off in
this direction also.  It was a fair race, but the horseman
gained upon the footman -- and as Goodridge passed in front,
the Indian, perceiving that it was in vain to think of
taking him alive, fired -- but fortunately , owing to the
rapidity of Goodridge's motion, or some other cause, missed
his mark.  The leaps of the horse down the steep part of the
hill were afterwards measured, and found to be eighteen feet
in length.

In his flight, Goodridge lost his hat, and the Indians
secured it as a trophy.  It is not a little remarkable that,
about ten years after this, in the succeeding war, an Indian
was taken somewhere on the Connecticut river, having on his
head the identical hat of Deacon David Goodridge, not much
the worse for wear.  On his getting clear of the Indians,
Goodridge betook himself to Page's garrison and an alarm was
forthwith fired.  In a short time men poured in from
Lunenburg, and even from Groton.  It is worthy of notice
that in two hous after the alarm was given, a Major Willard,
with a company of cavalry, arrived at the garrison from
Lancaster.

The Indians, upon the alarm being given, retired to the top
of Rollstone, from whence they could command a view of the
movements beneath them and seeing a great commotion, and
people flocking in from abroad, they thought it advisable to
withdraw into some secret place.

(next episode -- "It was on the following morning, according
to the accounts of aged people that the garrison of John
Fitch was attacked.")

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