The Romance of Norwalk

High spirited, brave and courageous, with a love of his people and a loyalty to his tribe, such as Uncas could never have boasted, Sassacus revolted and decided to exterminate the English before they exterminated him. As fate would have it, the white man was stronger and the red went down to defeat. The fact that Uncas occupied no place of honor in the minds of the more intelligent of the historians is made very lucid by a short resume of their opinions on the two Indian Chieftains, Uncas and Sassacus. “Why Uncas has received the laudations of so many writ¬ ers it is not easy to see,” writes G. H. Hollister in his “His¬ tory of Connecticut”, “unless in their love of treason which helped them to crush a troublesome enemy, they have learned COMING OF THE WHITE MAN i9 also to cherish the memory of the traitor. For ourselves, we set a much lower estimate upon the character of this Indian, than upon that of the Pequot chief Sassacus who fought the English to the last hour of his life and scorned to ask quar¬ ter of those to whom he had himself denied it. Sassacus was the most intractable and proud of all New England Indians. He is described as having excelled all other men of his tribe in courage and address as a warrior, as much as that tribe surpassed all the neighboring ones in haughty claims to dominion.” Writes Herbert M. Sylvester in his “Indian Wars of New England” : “Uncas was of huge stature, great bravery and strength, past master in stratagem, and who cared more for plunder than for glory. He was careful of his own men and there¬ fore popular. An apt politician, he was selfish, jealous and inclined to play the tyrant. Possessed of many bad traits, he also had some good ones. He served the English as the means to an end which was the consummation of his own personal animosities. In these days he would have been a political ward boss.” De Forest in the “History of the Indians of Connecticut,” writes of Uncas : “He was faithful to the English just as the jackal is faithful to the lion, not because he loves the lion but because it gains something by remaining in his company.” James Fitch, colonist, sent among the Mohegans as a missionary, called Uncas, “an old and wicked wilful man, a drunkard and very vicious.” In 1 842 a monument was erected to the memory of Uncas, in Norwich. PURCHASE OF NORWALK Chapter III Roger Ludlow Buys Eastern End of Settlement Front Indians — Captain Patrick Purchases Central Portion — Indian Camps Found Here — Ludlow} s A greement JVith Planters — JV e stern Norwalk Purchased. It was not long after the great swamp fight in 1637, that Roger Ludlow, back in his Hartford home, began consider¬ ing the possibility of founding a settlement in the fine and fertile country, the acquaintance of which he had recently made. Chance had led him into the vicinity of what is now Fairfield, Southport, and Norwalk, for had he not joined Stoughton and Mason in the swamp fight, he might never have traveled down into this corner of Connecticut. In such manner does Norwalk, the present city, owe its light of day indirectly to the deadly hatred between the two Indian chief- . tains, Uncas and Sassacus. Roger Ludlow was a man of no small influence and stand¬ ing in the community. He came from the little town of Ludlow in Salop County, England, the home of the ancient Ludlows. His most famous ancestor was William Ludlow, M. P. of High Deverill, who belonged officially to the house¬ holds of King Henry, the Fourth, the Fifth and the Sixth during the fifteenth century. Ludlow went to Balliol college, Oxford, at the age of 20 and later studied for the bar in London. He came to America in 1630 at the age of 40, being in the same company as Governor John Winthrop. After arriving in this country he took his second wife, a sister of Governor Endicott, and thereby climbed to the top of such a social ladder as the colonies could boast. Roger Ludlow had been elected deputy 20 In Ludlow, Salop County, England, from which place Roger Ludlow founder of Norwalk came, and to which place he returned, after leaving this country, bitter and unhappy. PURCHASE OF NORWALK 21 governor of Massachusetts before he came to America and he held that office for four years. In 1635, Ludlow, who in these days might be termed a “swell-headed fellow,” removed to Windsor in order to add more laurels to his collection. From the time of his transfer to Connecticut, until 1654, he was either deputy governor or assistant deputy governor of the colony. He was deputy governor under Governor John Haynes at the time of the purchase of Norwalk. In 1639, Ludlow removed from Windsor to Fairfield where he founded a settlement, purchasing the land from the Pequonnock Indians, May 11, 1639. For certain irreg¬ ularities alleged in connection with the purchase of this property, Ludlow was called to account, while deputy gov¬ ernor of Connecticut, by the Hartford court. It appears that Ludlow was sent by the government to establish a village in or near what is now Bridgeport, but that he de¬ cided instead to build his colony in the more fertile land, which now comprises Fairfield. For his headstrong action he was destined to suffer later. No sooner had the intrepid Englishman commenced his Fairfield settlement, than he began casting an eager eye on the land lying between the Saugatuck and the Norwalk rivers, which he had traversed and marked with an eager eye when pursuing the fleeing Pequots after the great swamp fight. February 26, 1640, Ludlow, with his son, Thomas, and an Indian servant, called Adam, came to Norwalk and entered into a treaty with one Mahackemo, or Mahachemo, sachem of the Norwalk Indians, from whom he purchased all lands lying between the Saugatuck and the Norwalk rivers, to the middle of said rivers, and from the sea, a day’s walk into the country. Below is a copy of the original deed. When you stop to think that the whole of the eastern side of this city was bought for a few jews harps, a handful of hatchets and knives and a little tobacco, it is not possible to accuse the Indians of profiteering. The copy follows: Indian Deed to Roger Ludlow. (East 22 ROMANCE OF NORWALK Side of Norwalk River.) “A copyie of a deede of sale made by Norwalke Indians, unto Master Roger Ludlowe, of Fair- field, as followeth, 26th February, 1640. An agreement made between the Indians of Norwalke and Roger Ludlowe : it is agreed, that the Indians of Norwalke, for and in con¬ sideration of eight fathom of wampum, sixe coates, tenn hatchets, tenn hoes, tenn knifes, tenn sissors, tenn jewse- harpes, tenn fathom Tobackoe, three kettles of sixe hands about, tenn looking glasses, have granted all the lands, mead¬ ows, pasturinge, trees, whatsoever their is and grounds be¬ tween the twoe Rivers, the one called Norwalke, the other Soakatuck, to the middle of sayed Rivers, from the sea a days walke into the country; to the sayed Roger Ludlowe and his heirs and assignes for ever; and that noe Indian or other shall challenge or claim any ground within the sayed Rivers or limits, nor disturb the sayed Roger, his heirs or assignes, within the precincts aforesaid. In witness whereof the parties thereunto have interchangeably sett their hands. Roger Ludlowe. Witnesse : The marke of Tomakergo, Thomas Ludlowe, The marke of Tokaneke, The marke of Adam, The marke of Prosewamenos, The mark of Mahachemo, Sachem.” CENTRAL NORWALK PURCHASED Captain Daniel Patrick, who was a fellow passenger of Ludlow’s and who it will be remembered also took part in the last battle with the Pequots, purchased the central por¬ tion of Norwalk. Patrick must have been a “gay young blade,” judging by the opinions of the colonists. He seems to have been one of the 108 original townsmen of Water- town, Mass., coming to America at the same time as did Ludlow in 1630. He does not seem to have enjoyed a very savory reputation, for all his bravery and courage while on the fighting line. He appears to have been constantly scrap¬ ping, either with the English, the Indians, the Dutch or his neighbors. That his character did not measure up to the PURCHASE OF NORWALK 23 stern and strict standard of the day is evidenced by what Governor Winthrop had to say of him: “We made him a captain and maintained him. After, he was admitted a member of the church of Watertown and a freeman. But he grew very proud and vicious; for although he had a wife of his own, a good Dutch woman, and comely, yet he despised her and followed after other women; and perceiving that he was discovered and that such evil courses would not be endured here and being withal, of a vain and unsettled disposition, he went from us and sat down within 20 miles of the Dutch (at Greenwich) and put himself under their protection and joined their church, without being dis¬ missed from Watertown.” The error of joining a second church before being dis¬ missed from the first appears to have been a crime almost equal to that of murder in those days. A few years later, Patrick met a violent death in Stam¬ ford. He happened to be in the home of one Captain Under¬ hill at the time. Several representative Dutchmen arrived in town, paid him a visit, and accused him of treachery with the Indians, which had resulted to the disadvantage of the Dutch. Patrick uttered some nasty reply, spat in their faces and then turned his back. One of them shot him down in cold blood. It is worth noting that when Patrick met his death, those who knew him commented on the fact that he was shot on a Sunday afternoon, just at the time when the second services were in session at the church. Mournfully they shook their heads and pointed out that had he been attending church, as he should have been, the murder could not have taken place, and that the Lord had seen fit to punish him for his trans¬ gressions.