Connecticut Historical Collections

"This wolf at length became such an intolerable nuisance, lliat Mr. Putnanr enter- ed into a combination with five of his neighbors to hunt uliernately until they could destroy her. Two by rotation, were to be constantly m jiursuit. It was kuuwn, that having lost the toes from one foot, by a steel trap, she made one track sh(jrter than the oilier. By tliii vestige, the pursuers recognized in a light snow, tlie roiiie of this pernieujiis uiumiil. Having fullowed her to (,\innecticut river and found she had turned back in ii direct course towards Pomlret, they iinmediaiely reiurned, and by ten o'clock the next morning, the blood-hounds had driven her into a den, about three miles distant from the house of Mr. Putnam. The peoplesoon collected with dogs,, guns, straw, fire and sulphur, to attack the common enemy. With this apparatus sev- eral unsuccessful elforls were made to force her from the den. The hounds came back badly wounded and refused to return. The smoke of blazing straw had no ef- fect. Nor did the fumes of burnt brimstone, with which the cavern was tilled, compelj her to quit the retirement. Wearied with such fiuiiless attempts, (w hicli had brought the time to ten o'clock al night,) JVIr. Puinam tried once more to make his dog enter, but in vain; he proposed to his negro man to go down into the cavern and shoot the ■wolf: the negro declined the hazardous service. Then it was that the master, angry at the disappointuient, and declaring that he was ashamed to have a coward in his lamily, resolved himself to destroy the ferocious beast, lest she should escape through some unknown fissure of the rock. His neighbors strongly remonstrated against the perilous enterprise: but he, knowing that wild animals were intiiniilated by lire, and having provided several strips of birch liark, the only combustible material which he could obtain, that would aflbrd light in this tieep and darksome cave, prepared for his descent. Having aceiudingly divested himself of his coat and waisieoat, and having a loni: rope lasiened around his legs, by which he might be pulled back, at a concerted signal, he entered head foremost with the blazing torch in his hand. " The aperture of the den, on the east side of a very high ledge of rocks, is about two feet .square; from thence it proceeds obliquely fil'lecn feet, then running horizon- tally about ten more, it ascemls gradually sixteen feet towards its termination. The sides of this subterraneous cavity are composed of smooth and solid rocks, which seem to have been divided from each other by some former earthquake. The top and bot- K 440 s T e: 11 l I n f; . ^"■^i^-^om are also ofstone, and ihe entrance in wintur, being covered with ice, is cxccediiif^- ' ly.slippery. It is in no place high enough lor a man to raise himsell' upright, nor lu any part more than thiee feet in width. " Having groped his passage to the horizontal part of the den, the most terrifying •darkness appeared in front of the dim circle of light afforded by his torch. It was silent as the house of death. None but monsters of the desert had ever before explored this solitary mansion of horror. He cautiously proceeding onward came to the ascent; which he slowly mounted on his hands and Iciiees until he discovered the glaring eye- balls of the wolf, who was sitting at the exiremity of the cavern. Started at the sight of hre, she gnashed her teeth, and gave a sudden giowl. As soon as he had made the necessary discovery, he kicked (he rope as a signal for pulling him out. The people at the mouth of the den, who iiad listened with painful anxiety, hearing the growl of the vvolf, and supposing their friend to be in the most imminent danger, drew him forth with such celerity that his shirt was stripped over his head and his skin severely Jacerated. Alter he had adjusted his clothes, and loaded his gun with nine buck-shot, Tiolding a torch in one hand and the musket irii<tli> other, he descended the second time. When lie drew nearer than before, ihe'wolf^as^uming a still more tierce and terrible appearance, howling, rolling her eyes, 'snapping her teeth, and dropping her Jiead between her legs, was evidently in the attituile and on the point of springing at liim. At this critical instant he leveled ami fned at her head. Stunned by the shock, and suflbeated with the smoke, he immediately found him^^elf drawn out of the cave. Hut having refreshed himself, and permuted tin; smoke to di'^sipate, he went liown the third time. Once more became within sight of the woll, who appearing veiy passive, he applied the tnich to her nose, and perceiving her tlead, he look hold of hei cars, and then kicking the rofie, (still tied round hi^ h'gs,) the pcojile aliove, with no small e.xullation, tlraggeil them both out together." STERLING. Strrling, formerly a pari of Voluntown, was incorporated as a town in 1794. The town is of an oblonj; shape, 8 miles in length from north to south, and has an avera^^e breadth of tlirce. It is bounded n. by Kil- lingly, K. by the Rhode Ishmd liiie^ s. by Voluntown, and w. by Plain- field. The face of the township is generally uneven, but there are some sections of pine plaitis. Tlte soil is a light gravelly and sandy loam. The land is best adapted to a grain culture. The town is watered by two branches of the iNloosup river, on which are four cotton fictories. There is ot)e house of worshi|) in Sterling, which is Itjr the Raptist denomina- tion, and is situated iti the eastern part of the town. This house is up- wards of 3 miles east of Plainfteld, and about 10 s.E. from Rrooklyn. " Near the center of this town, there is a cavern, called the Devil's Den, possessing very singular and cm'ious features. It is situated with- in a ledge of rocks, and has a circular area of about 100 feet in ditune- ter. The rock is cleft in two places, forming at each a chasm or fis- sure about fifty fe(!t in depth, through one of which there runs a small stream of water ; the other conmiunicates with a room about 1'2 feet square, at the interior part of which there is a fire place, and a chim- ney extending through the rock above, forming an aperture of about 3 feet square. In another part of the rock there is a natural stair-case, winding around it from the bottom to the top. In the cold season of tlie year, a large mass of ice is formed in the room above described, by the dashing of water ilown the chimney, which continues there through nearly the whole of the warm months ; the sun being almost excluded from this subterranean recess."* Pease and Niles' Gazetteer T II O .M I' S O N . 441 THOMPSON. Thompson was formerly a part of Killin<,'ly, and was settled about 1715. It was incorporated as a distinct town in 1785. It is said to have derived its name from the circumstance of a considerable part of the township beinir owned by a INlr. Thompson, of England. A part of the land was held in his name till about tiie year 1800. " It is diffi- cult to ascertain who were the first settlers of the town. It was mostly covered by royal |)atents to Thompson, Saltonstall, Wolcotts, Hum- ]ihry Davy, and others. The first old parchment deed is now in the museum* in Thompsouj (bted April lOih, 17IG, and is from Josiali Wolcott, and Mary his wife, of Salem, Mass. to John Sabin, and is for 400 or 500 acres in the center of the town, and bounded on the above old royal yranis." The eastern part of the town was formerly called (^iiailuc or (-^iKtiuhick. Thompson forms the northeastern corner of the county and state : it is bounded n. by Massachusetts, e. by Rhode Island, s. by Killin;^ly. and w, by Woodstock and Pomfret. The township is nearly eiii;ht miles square, and con)prises an area of 59 s(juare miles. The (^uinneljam^ passes throuLdi the eastern part of the town ; in its course it ret.'<:;ives the French river. Thompson is a rich agricultural and manuliirluriiig town, and the inhabitants are dis- tingnislied for tlieir spirit of enterprise. The surface of the township exiiibits an interesting variety of hills and valleys ; many of the hills are quite elevated, hut no iioiiion of it can be called mountainous. The prevailing soil is a gravelly loam, strofig and dry, well adapted to the culture of Indian corn, wi'icat and clover, and generally excellent for grazing, 'i'liere is a great supply of \aluable stone for walls and buildings. There are 4 houses of worship in the town, 2 for Baptists, 1 Congregational, and I Methodist . The following is a southern view of the Congregational church and other buildings in the vicinity, in the central |)art of the town. The village, which is situated on a commanding eminence, consists of about 30 well built dwelling houses, 4 mercantile stores, 1 bank, (tlie Thomp- son bank,) and a printing office. At the time the following drawing was taken, a new Baptist church was erecting. It is situated a few rods north of the Congregational church. This place is 14 miles from Brooklyn, 34 from ]Nor\vich,47 from Hartford, 27 from Providence and 53 from Boston. There are in the town 6 or 7 cotton factories, which do an extensive business. There are also two or three woolen factories. 31asonvil[e, on French river, is perhaps the largest manufacturing village in the town, and is about a mile and a half from the center. The factory at this place was formerly called the " Swamp Factory," from its being situated in a marshy spot. Vishersville is about a mile north, on the same stream. Tlie village of Ntw Boston is situated in the northwest corner of the town, about six miles from the center; the village is built on both sides of the Quinnebaug. * The niusetiin of Mr. Davis, contains tlie Irugest and best collection in Geology of iny in the count v 56 41-2 THOMPSON iSuut/t view of 'iliuinpson, [ca iiiriil [Kin.)